Miami-Dade volunteers survey kids on the street, By Elinor J. Brecher, August 29, 2013, Miami Herald: “Armed with some disquieting statistics about why kids end up on the streets, about 100 volunteers fanned out across Miami-Dade County on Thursday for a headcount of homeless 13 to 24-year-olds. Called ‘iCount,’ the Housing Survey for Youth Under 25 was a joint effort of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust and the Miami Coalition for the Homeless, with support from organizations that deal with at-risk youth, including the Miami-Dade school system’s Homeless Education Program, Miami Bridge, Pridelines, The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth, Our Kids, Switchboard of Miami and Educate Tomorrow…”
Tag: Homeless children
Homeless Families – Wyoming, Kansas
- In Wyoming, many jobs but no place to call home, By Jack Healy, January 12, 2013, New York Times: “After losing everything last year to Southern California’s soured economy, Tiffany Kipp and her family packed up three boxes and a diaper bag and caught a Greyhound bus to Wyoming, their best chance at a fresh start. They were drawn to Wyoming, where Ms. Kipp has family, by the promise of plentiful jobs and a booming energy sector, and a thin hope of rebuilding their futures on the High Plains. But like a growing number of people here, they ended up on the underside of the boom…”
- Number of homeless children in Wichita grows, By Roy Wenzl, January 12, 2013, Wichita Eagle: “Gavin Shelton does not know he is homeless; his father has kept that from him. He is 8 years old with dark hair, a big smile, ambition. When asked for his life plan, he grinned. ‘WWE wrestler,’ he said. ‘Or NASCAR.’ He went to sleep this past week in a clean, neat room at the Salvation Army shelter downtown, unaware that he and his father came close to living on the street. It was sheer luck that the Salvation Army had a room open when his father called Dec. 27. Gavin has no idea that he has helped Wichita schools set what district officials call a disturbing record. Last year, social workers and teachers found a record 1,733 homeless children in Wichita schools. By Friday, the total for this year reached a new high – 1,829, including 14 identified on Thursday alone…”
Housing and Academic Achievement
- How housing narrows the achievement gap, By Mercedes White, October 29, 2012, Deseret News: “It’s hardly news that an achievement gap exists between children from high-income and low-income families in the United States. Although policymakers, politicians and educators work tirelessly to decrease these differentials, new evidence suggests the gap is actually growing…”
- Study: Homeless students in Minneapolis score lower in math, reading tests, By Tim Post, October 30, 2012, Minnesota Public Radio: “Of the many academic risk factors that students face, homelessness may be one of the worst according to a study released today. Researchers looked at Minneapolis public school students over a six-year span and found that homelessness and high mobility had a greater effect on grades than other poverty-based measure. Even the most basic elements of school like homework and studying can be tough to sort out for homeless students, or those considered highly mobile because they move more than three times in a year…”
- Minneapolis homeless pupils lag in math, By Steve Brandt, October 30, 2012, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: “Homelessness among Minneapolis students stunts their growth in math and can leave them behind their peers in math and reading for years, according to a long-term study released Tuesday by the University of Minnesota. ‘The risk isn’t limited to the time they are homeless. It’s a persistent risk,’ said Ann Masten, a professor of child development who was involved in the study. Students who are homeless or move frequently make slower progress in math, both compared with their own previous progress and compared with their peers, according to principal author J.J. Cutuli, now a University of Pennsylvania researcher…”