Throughout Brandon’s youth, he experienced homelessness while staying temporarily in hotels or motels and living temporarily with others. In his essay, Brandon looks back on these traumatic experiences of homelessness and the impact they had on his life. He writes: “Back then, I didn’t have nearly enough wisdom to put all these experiences into context…I internalized how I was feeling and didn’t seek help from outside sources… Without a healthy outlet to express my frustration, stress, and confusion, I was simultaneously experiencing some of the worst depression I’d ever had in my life, which affected my academic performance and made me feel like I was losing my ticket out of poverty.”

A SchoolHouse Connection scholarship changed his life and supported him in pursuing higher education. Brandon closes his piece writing: “If you or someone you know is a student struggling with homelessness, it’s important to reach out to your school to see what resources and support are available to you in your area. There are often people whose entire job is to find a way to help you get safe and stable housing. You don’t have to struggle with this alone.”

Syerra is a SchoolHouse Connection Youth Scholar who experienced homelessness while staying temporarily with others and in “substandard housing.” Describing herself as a “survivor” throughout her essay, Syerra is on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and plans to purse a law degree in child advocacy.

In her essay, she writes: “These programs have given me hope. They allowed me to speak, to cry, and to let out all of the hurt and pain. This safe space gave me freedom and it unblocked my brain to dream again. They have helped me a lot and are a true example of the type of child advocate educator I want to be.”

Storm Bryant has experienced homelessness, while living under a roof — staying temporarily in hotels or motels and living temporarily with others. Youth experiencing homelessness in these conditions face comparable trauma and challenges as those who live unsheltered, but are often harder to identify and are either not considered to be homeless or not prioritized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), thus making them unable to obtain homelessness assistance through HUD.

Living in “substandard housing” is considered an experience of homelessness by the McKinney-Vento Act if “the setting in which the family, child, or youth is staying living lacks one of the fundamental utilities such as water, electricity, or heat; is infested with vermin or mold; lacks a basic functional part, such as a working kitchen or a working toilet; or may present unreasonable dangers to adults, children, or persons with disabilities” (USED Guidance, March 2017, A-3). Anthony’s story seeks to raise awareness of the realities of this kind of homelessness experienced by youth across the nation.

In this essay, SchoolHouse Connection Youth Scholar Jahnee S. bravely speaks to the impact her experiences of homelessness throughout her youth have had on her mental health.. But like so many youth who experience homelessness, Jahnee found resilience at school, where she was provided the academic, mental, and emotional support to cope, learn, and succeed long-term. Jahnee’s story reminds us that we must prioritize solutions for child, youth, and family homelessness crisis, centered on the one home all children and youth have in common: school.

Eric P.* is 19 years old, based in Texas, navigating his senior year of high school amid a pandemic — and as if that isn’t challenging enough, he is also an Unaccompanied Homeless Youth staying with a friend for the time being. Eric has experienced various forms of homelessness since he was 5 years old, and in his Q&A, speaks to the devastating impact his experiences of homelessness have had on his mental health and the support he wishes he and other homeless youth had. Eric plans to attend a community college after graduation, and then transfer to a four-year university — a path he says is only possible because of the support of his school and educators throughout his life.

*For privacy, we are keeping Eric’s last name anonymous.