Overview The New York City mayoral election will be a decision on the proper localized response to the continued pandemic, similar in its gravity to the 2001 mayoral election that followed the dual wounds of 9/11 and the related economic downturn. Given the current financial crisis and increased unemployment, many New Yorkers will be approaching…
Ralph da Costa Nunez, Ph.D. On April 6, as the daily tally of new recorded cases of COVID-19—6,353—peaked in New York City, over 11,000 families with over 20,000 children were sheltering in place in the Department of Homeless Services’s family shelter system. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is negatively affecting all New Yorkers, but disproportionately harming…
The integral role that schools play in the lives of students experiencing homelessness and the many challenges they face have never been clearer as the threat of coronavirus continues to grow and schools across the country close. Below are ten things to keep in mind about homeless students amid the COVID-19 crisis. Students and families…
Student homelessness is at an all-time high, with over 1.5 million children nationwide experiencing homelessness over the course of the 2017-18 school year. That is the sobering verdict of a new report released by the National Center on Homeless Education (NCHE). This record-breaking total is an 11% increase over the previous school year and a…
Overview For the 105,000 students who experience homelessness every year in New York City, the ability to graduate high school is one of the most powerful tools they have for breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and instability. Unfortunately, housing instability brings with it challenges for students, such as school transfers, higher absenteeism, and a…
How many homeless students live in my state? Homelessness is a national experience, but a local issue. Across the country, the number of homeless students nearly doubled over the last decade. But the numbers vary state by state. For example, while only two states (LA and MS) and Puerto Rico saw decreases in the number…
How does food insecurity impact children experiencing homelessness in my neighborhood? Over 105,000 or one in ten students in NYC public schools is homeless. In some school districts, as many as one in five students experiences homelessness. Hunger and the high cost of food are a devastating reality experienced by NYC’s homeless children and their…
Do homelessness and poor nutrition affect children in my community? Poor nutrition has a harmful effect on the physical and cognitive development of children. Unfortunately, it is too often a reality for homeless children. No parent should have to worry about their children going hungry nor be unable to provide them with a diet that…
