Washington state schools enrolling record number of homeless students

A record number of public school students in our state are homeless, according to new data released Monday by the U.S. Department of Education.

The report says 30,609 homeless students enrolled in Washington preschools and K-12 schools in the 2012-2013 school year, an increase of 12 percent over the previous year.

Nationwide, the data says student homelessness reached a record level, with 1,258,182 in 34 states and the District of Columbia reporting year-to-year increases in the number of homeless students.

“A record number of Washington’s homeless students means a record number of our children being exposed to sexual trafficking, abuse, hunger, and denial of their basic needs,” said Bruce Lesley, President of the First Focus Campaign for Children, a national advocacy group for homeless children.

The numbers are likely far greater. The data does not include homeless infants and toddlers, young children who are not enrolled in public preschool programs, and homeless children and youth who were not identified by school officials.

The Department of Education defines homeless children and youth as those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. They can be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds, staying in emergency or transitional shelters, or awaiting foster care placement.

A vast majority of the homeless children were living in “doubled-up” quarters, meaning multiple families were living together not by choice. About 70,000 nationwide were identified as living in a hotel or motel.

In addition, school districts reported that nearly 76,000 of these students were living on their own, such as runaways.

Advocates say 75 percent of the children included in the Education Department data are not recognized as homeless by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, depriving nearly 23,000 of services including shelter, short-term housing, and assistance with finding permanent housing.

“The new data mean that a record number of Washington kids in our schools and communities are spending restless nights in bed-bug infested motels and falling more behind in school by the day because they’re too tired and hungry to concentrate. This is a desperate situation, and the first step we must take is to get Washington’s homeless students the housing assistance they need today by passing the Homeless Children and Youth Act,” Lesley said.

That proposed measure would amend HUD’s definition of homelessness to include students not previously considered for federal housing assistance.

“Public schools are the only universal safety net for these children and youth — a place where they can obtain basic services and the education that is necessary to escape poverty as adults. Yet without access to HUD homeless assistance, schools struggle to stabilize the education and the lives of homeless children and youth,” said Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.