Research

Student Homelessness: Lessons from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was first developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1990 to assess the health risk behaviors of youth and adults in the United States.

SchoolHouse Connection analyzed demographic and risk factor data from the 2019 YRBS in 27 states*, comparing high school students experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness. For the first time, the 2019 YRBS survey data is able to reflect Native American students experiencing homelessness, and students experiencing homelessness who identify as transgender (while previous surveys contained questions about these two student groups, they did not yield enough data to publish).

This series shares the striking and heartbreaking results of that analysis, tangible action steps that schools can take, and resources to promote safety and health for students experiencing homelessness.

While this data was collected before the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the health risks associated with homelessness is even more critical for ensuring that students experiencing homelessness are identified and receive supports and services as schools move to reopen and re-engage students.

*AK, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MT, NH, NM, NC, ND, PA, RI, SC, SD, VT, VA, WI

Prevalence, Identification, and Action Steps for Schools

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SchoolHouse Connection’s analysis of YRBS data found that young people experience homelessness at an even higher rate than currently reported by the U.S. Department of Education. The YRBS indicates that 5.8% of high school students surveyed in the 27 states experienced homelessness at some point during the 2018-2019 school year.

In contrast, public schools reported only 2.27% of all public school students as experiencing homelessness. In other words, based on YRBS homelessness data, public schools are identifying only slightly less than half of high school students experiencing homelessness.

As many as one million students experiencing homelessness pre-covid are not receiving services they need, and to which they are entitled under the federal mckinney-vento act.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Ensure that homeless liaisons, which the McKinney-Vento Act requires every school district and charter school to designate, have adequate capacity to lead comprehensive identification activities.*

*The McKinney-Vento Act requires that liaisons be “able to carry out the duties described” in the law, which includes ensuring that children and youth experiencing homelessness “are identified by school personnel through outreach and coordination activities with other entities and agencies.”

2. Provide annual training to school staff on the definition of homeless, signs of potential homelessness, and whom to contact if they believe a student may be experiencing homelessness.* Training should include school counselors, registrars, teachers, bus drivers, resource officers, nurses, dropout prevention specialists, attendance officers, principals, and food service staff. Training should include trauma-informed practices to cultivate an environment that encourages students experiencing homelessness to self-identify.

*The McKinney-Vento Act requires that liaisons ensure “school personnel providing services under th[e] subtitle receive professional development and other support.”

3. Avoid the word “homeless” when talking to students, caregivers, parents, and school staff. Use descriptive language and ask questions with discretion.

4. If possible, administer housing questionnaires multiple times throughout the year, not just in the fall. This will help to identify students and families who are currently experiencing homelessness but were not at the start of the school year.

5. When talking with families experiencing homelessness, ask about younger siblings in the family. Connect young children to early intervention, Head Start, and preschool services.

6. Work with homeless service providers, social service agencies, drop-in centers, faith communities, food banks, campgrounds, low-cost motels, and other locations where families and youth experiencing homelessness may stay or receive services. Make special efforts to connect with groups that cater to teen parents, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ youth.

7. Post information about the educational rights of students experiencing homelessness on school and district websites, in school buildings, libraries, motels, campgrounds, and service provider locations.

8. Use behaviorally-informed email communications to increase identification.

9. Ask youth to help spread the word about the assistance schools can provide to students experiencing homelessness.

Racial and Ethnic Equity: Disproportionality and Action Steps for Schools

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SchoolHouse Connection’s analysis of the 2019 YRBS data found that students of color are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness.

• Black or African American students comprise only 13% of all high school students but represent 20.3% of high school students experiencing homelessness.
• Hispanic or Latino students comprise 25.6% of all high school students but represent 35.9% of high school students experiencing homelessness.
• American Indian/Alaska Native students comprise 1.4% of all high school students but represent 1.6% of high school students experiencing homelessness. *

*2019 YRBS survey data is able to reflect Native American students experiencing homelessness for the first time.

Although the YRBS survey is anonymous, some students experiencing homelessness may be hesitant to identify themselves because of fear of retaliation, historical trauma, stigma, etc. This includes Asian American and Pacific Islander students. Research shows subgroups of Asian American and Pacific Islander students have disproportionately negative education outcomes that are masked when educational institutions do not disaggregate data by subgroupings.

These data mean that Black high school students are 2.25 times more likely to experience homelessness, American Indian/Alaska Native students are 1.7 times more likely to experience homelessness, and Hispanic high school students are just over two times more likely to experience homelessness, than White high school students.

The YRBS homelessness data described above include high school students who experience homelessness as part of families, as well as high school students who are homeless by themselves. Studies of unaccompanied homeless youth that also include young adults have found similar disproportionalities for both racial and ethnic minorities. Some studies also have shown higher rates of homelessness among American Indian and Alaska Native youth. In schools, racial and ethnic equity requires a deliberate, district-wide commitment over time.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Collect and disaggregate data on students experiencing homelessness. This could include basic identification data, as well as data on students of color experiencing homelessness who are suspended/expelled, chronically absent, graduate on-time, etc.
2. Support McKinney-Vento liaisons and other educators who communicate with families of color experiencing homelessness, to ensure they are relaying the law and its rights and protections in a way that centers anti-racism in conversations. NYS-TEACHS developed a helpful tool, “Centering Anti-Racism in Conversations with McKinney-Vento Families and Colleagues.“
3. Adopt positive school discipline policies district-wide. Students experiencing homelessness are subjected to punitive discipline measures much more often than their housed peers. The risk of suspension or expulsion increases exponentially for students of color experiencing homelessness.
4. Develop and implement a school district or charter school data-driven Racial and Ethnic Justice Action Plan. The Plan should be based on the lived experiences of students of color and address racial equity impact assessments; funding inequities; ongoing training and support for all school staff to build a positive school climate; implicit bias; curricula and extra-curricular opportunities that respect and elevate the experiences of students of color; and other equity issues, with the voices of youth of color at the center.
5. Ensure that the McKinney-Vento homeless liaison has adequate time and capacity to participate in school climate activities and to collaborate with community agencies that provide food, health and mental health care, transportation, and housing, to meet students’ needs outside of school. These added services help show students they are valued by their school.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equity: Disproportionality and Action Steps for Schools

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SchoolHouse Connection’s analysis of YRBS data found that high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ) are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness, with 28.7% of students experiencing homelessness identifying as LGBQ, compared to 15.6% of all students.

For the first time, the YRBS survey results contained enough data to report about students who identify as transgender, revealing that transgender students are 9.22 times more likely to experience homelessness than their peers.

These data mean that LGBQ high school students are 2.18 times more likely to experience homelessness than heterosexual high school students.

YRBS homelessness data include high school students who experience homelessness as part of families, as well as those who are homeless by themselves. While the data do not establish the reasons for a student’s homelessness, they clearly demonstrate a disproportionate likelihood that LGBQ high school students will experience homelessness. Studies of unaccompanied homeless youth that also include young adults have found similar disproportionalities for LGBTQ youth.

Identifying as LGBQT+ can carry its own set of challenges and risk factors; for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, the challenges are compounded. For example:

• LGBQ youth experiencing homelessness miss school at twice the rate of their heterosexual housed peers
• Transgender students experiencing homelessness report experiencing forced sexual activities at three times the rate of their cisgender peers experiencing homelessness
• LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness attempt suicide at 2-3 times the rate of their heterosexual/cisgender peers
• LGBTQ youth are more likely to be bullied on school property

In schools, equity and safety for all LGBTQ students, including those who experience homelessness, requires a deliberate, district-wide commitment over time.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Ensure that strong anti-bullying policies and practices are in place and respected.
2. Locate LGBTQ organizations in your community and invite them to lead trainings at school, consult on district policies and practices, and provide guidance on curricula and extra-curricular opportunities that respect and elevate the experiences of LGBTQ students.
3. Prioritize creating a positive school climate for the district. Provide ongoing training, coaching, and support for all school staff to build a positive school climate, including topics such as gender identity, cultural competency, and empathy. Ensure that these efforts accommodate the harsh reality of students experiencing homelessness.
4. Engage LGBTQ youth in school climate and equity efforts. Ask them for help spreading the word about McKinney-Vento services.
5. Ensure that the McKinney-Vento homeless liaison has adequate time and capacity to participate in school climate training and to collaborate with community agencies that provide food, health and mental health care, transportation, and housing, to meet students’ needs outside of school. These added services help show students they are valued by their school.

Vulnerability of Different Homeless Situations

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SchoolHouse Connection analyzed YRBS data to determine the vulnerability of youth in different homeless living situations to a variety of health risk behaviors. When asked where they usually slept during the past 30 days, high school students reported homelessness as follows:

[i] While “no usual place to sleep” does not fall under a specific subcategory of homelessness defined under the McKinney-Vento Act (42 U.S.C. §11434a), the answer indicates that students may have been moving so frequently that they could not identify a usual sleeping arrangement in any single category, even looking back over only the previous thirty days. Part of the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homelessness is that the living situation is not “regular”; it is subject to change. These students also indicated health risk factors comparable to students in homeless situations. Therefore, while we cannot determine that these students lived in any particular subcategory of homelessness, we believe the answer “no usual place to sleep” is very likely to indicate a level of mobility that would make the students’ living situation not regular, and therefore homeless.”

Analyzing risk behaviors of students in each of these living situations revealed that youths’ vulnerability to violence, suicide, substance abuse, hunger, bullying, and lack of sleep was comparable across different living situations. For every risk behavior studied, the incidence among students in any homeless living situation was significantly higher than that of their housed peers.

For example, the following percentages of students in each living situation reported having been raped:

Similarly, struggles with mental health and substance abuse were significantly higher among students reporting homelessness, and comparable across homeless living situations:

YRBS homelessness data show that high school students experiencing homelessness are very vulnerable to a variety of harms to their safety, health, and well-being. This vulnerability crosses all homeless living situations. Students experiencing homelessness are at dire risk of rape, assault, suicide, substance abuse, hunger, bullying and other risks, whether sleeping in a motel, a car, a shelter, temporarily with other people, or moving so frequently that they cannot identify a usual sleeping arrangement over a thirty-day period.

The YRBS data on the vulnerability of youth across different homeless situations is consistent with previous research showing that homeless students who stay with others temporarily (“doubled up”), or in motels, have similarly poor academic outcomes as those who stay in shelters or are unsheltered. Other research shows the fluidity of homelessness for youth and young families: most do not stay in one place while experiencing homelessness, but rather move frequently between different situations.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Conduct comprehensive activities to identify students experiencing homelessness in all living situations. Ensure that homeless liaisons, which the McKinney-Vento Act requires every school district and charter school to designate, have adequate capacity to lead these comprehensive identification activities.*
   *The McKinney-Vento Act requires that liaisons be “able to carry out the duties described” in the law, which includes ensuring that children and youth experiencing homelessness “are identified by school personnel through outreach and coordination activities with other entities and agencies.”
2. Support the Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA), which would make children and youth in all homeless living situations eligible for homeless assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD’s definition of homelessness excludes most students living in motels and those sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. HCYA would allow local communities to assess the vulnerability of all homeless children and youth and provide assistance tailored to the most vulnerable populations.
3. Raise awareness in your school district and community about the different kinds of homeless living situations, and the vulnerabilities associated with them. Campaigns like #CouchesDontCount are an example of how to shine a light on hidden homelessness.
4. Adopt a trauma-informed approach to education. Provide training for educators and administrators in recognizing behavioral, social, and cognitive characteristics which may indicate reactions to trauma. Foster quality relationships between students and educators and make all students aware of school-based support personnel (school psychologists, school nurses, administrators, social workers). Equip students to identify potentially harmful situations and take direct action using school-based intervention programs such as Green Dot.
5. Use school-based mental health screenings, prevention, and treatment. A multi-tiered approach provides all students with school-based prevention and mental health wellness initiatives. Provide selective interventions to students exhibiting risky behaviors or displaying characteristics of being at-risk for substance abuse/mental health disorders. Students with chronic mental health issues and serious problem behaviors should receive individualized intervention from school psychologists, IEP team members, social workers, and other staff. Screening procedures must be context-sensitive, as some students experiencing trauma may not be identified if they are functioning well in school. When possible, collaborate with community-based mental health providers to provide a continuum of services in case students’ needs go beyond the capacity of the school.

Missing School Due To Safety Concerns

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Absence from school has dire, long-term consequences for students, including higher rates of dropping out of high school, experiencing poverty, and becoming involved in the criminal justice system*. All of these factors can lead to continued homelessness in adulthood. SchoolHouse Connection analyzed YRBS data to determine how often high school students experiencing homelessness miss school because they feel unsafe at school or on their way to or from school. The data show that more than one in four high school students experiencing homelessness missed at least one day of school in a single month due to these safety concerns. They were 4.63 times more likely to miss school due to safety concerns compared to stably housed students.

*National Center for Homeless Education (2017). In School Every Day: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Among Students Experiencing Homelessness.

There are many reasons students experiencing homelessness may feel unsafe. They may have to pass through dangerous neighborhoods on their way to and from school, particularly if they are staying in low-cost motels. A recent study by Johns Hopkins University found that Baltimore City public high school students whose commutes to school force them to walk through or wait in areas with higher violent-crime rates are more likely to miss school*.

*J. Burdock-Will, M. Stein, & J. Grigg (2019). Danger on the Way to School: Exposure to Violent Crime, Public Transportation, and Absenteeism.

Students experiencing homelessness sometimes have long commutes when their temporary living situation is far from their original school. As a result, they may leave before sunrise in the morning and return after sunset, forcing them to navigate dangerous neighborhoods in the dark. Research from numerous studies have found human trafficking rates among youth and young adults experiencing homelessness ranging from 19% to 40%*. In school, students experiencing homelessness are disproportionately bullied. Due to their trauma, they also may be even more vulnerable than other students to anxieties regarding school shootings and violence.

*National Network for Youth (2018). Responding to Youth Homelessness: A Key Strategy for Preventing Human Trafficking.

Schools can help students experiencing homelessness feel safe on their way to school and after they arrive, to help increase attendance.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Adopt robust policies and practices to identify students experiencing homelessness. Educate teachers about warning signs that a student is experiencing homelessness or is at risk of becoming homeless. Students must be identified to receive critical supports, such as McKinney-Vento rights and services. These services include: immediate school enrollment, school stability, and transportation.
2. Help students feel safe at school.
   • Provide students experiencing homelessness with peer and adult mentors to help them adapt to a new school environment, make friends, and have a safe adult with whom to share concerns about safety.
   • Ensure students experiencing homelessness have access to school counselors and social workers whenever needed.
   • Provide McKinney-Vento liaisons, teachers, counselors, and social workers with sufficient time to build relationships with students and help address safety concerns.
   • Adopt and implement clear policies against bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
3. Help keep students safe on their commute to and from school.
   • Provide appropriate and safe transportation to and from the school of origin. If students must change buses, set up those connections so that two or more students wait for the connection together.
   • Provide students with safety equipment like reflective clothing and cell phones with data plans and calling minutes.
   • Help connect students to walking buddies and/or adult volunteers so they do not have to walk through dangerous neighborhoods alone.
4. Recognize socio-economic challenges which impact school attendance. Common reasons for homeless students missing school include: mobility and housing instability, transportation problems, taking care of younger siblings or elderly family members, working to help meet basic needs, and physical and mental health issues. Connect students and families with services to mitigate these challenges.
5. Ensure that school policies and disciplinary procedures do not negatively impact students because of their homelessness. Revise policies which establish severe penalties for tardiness and/or suspension from school as a result of chronic absences.

Suicide and Mental Health

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More than one in three high school students experiencing homelessness attempted suicide in the year prior to completing the YRBS.

Homelessness at any age is a traumatic experience, causing emotional, physical, and mental reactions in children and youth. Students who have been impacted by traumatic events can have trouble trusting and developing relationships with adults, develop hypervigilance and separation anxiety, display sadness and anger, and have difficulty concentrating in school or otherwise. In infancy, homelessness harms babies’ health and development, which continues into early childhood.*

*Richards, R., Merrill, R. M., Baksh, L., & McGarry, J. (2011). “Maternal health behaviors and infant health outcomes among homeless mothers: US Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) 2000–2007”. Preventive Medicine, 52(1), 87-94. Stein, J. A., Lu, M. C., & Gelberg, L. (2000). “Severity of homelessness and adverse birth outcomes”. Health Psychology, 19(6), 524.

For adolescents, homelessness means hunger, instability, and extreme emotional stress. It often means victimization, trafficking, and separation from family and other support networks, whether due to family rejection or the family’s inability to find shelter together.* YRBS data show that tragically, many high school students experiencing homelessness are more likely to have feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and resort to self-harm and attempted suicide more often than their peers who do not experience homelessness.

*National Network for Youth. “Human Trafficking and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Population.” Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau (2016). “Street Outreach Program Data Collection Study Final Report.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also taken a toll on all children’s and adolescent’s mental health. The Centers for Disease Control reported that since the start of the pandemic, mental-health related pediatric emergency room visits increased by 24% for children ages 5-11, and 31% for adolescents ages 12-17.

For many students experiencing homelessness, school is often their sole mental health services provider, and their only opportunity to receive the caring, individualized attention from trusted adults that they need. The shift to virtual learning has compounded underlying trauma and mental health issues.

Students of color experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable. School climate can have a significant impact on a student’s mental health, but African American and Hispanic students often report feeling less positive about their school climate than their white and Asian peers. For students of color experiencing homelessness (55% of all students experiencing homelessness), these school climate racial inequities only compound their feelings of hopelessness and isolation.

As schools contemplate reopening, it is critical to assess the support services they offer and the climate they foster for all students, but especially for students of color experiencing homelessness.

59.18% of our young leaders reported making a suicide plan while in high school, and one in four reported a suicide attempt while in high school.

Students experiencing homelessness were 4.39 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to stably housed youth. The impacts of homelessness on student’s mental health is especially acute for students of color:

• Hispanic/Latino homeless students are approximately 1.5x more likely than students of other races/ethnicities to have felt sad or hopeless.
• Black or African American homeless students and homeless students of all other races were slightly more likely than white and Hispanic/Latino homeless students to have attempted suicide.

To explore these findings further, SchoolHouse Connection (SHC) asked 49 young people with homeless experiences who participate in the mentorship and leadership programs of SchoolHouse Connection and the National Network for Youth about whether they had considered suicide. 59.18% of our young leaders reported making a suicide plan while in high school, and one in four reported a suicide attempt while in high school. These devastating findings are not inevitable. Schools can provide students experiencing homelessness with access to mental health support, mentorship, basic needs, and hope.

Action Steps for Schools

The following action steps were suggested by young people who experienced homelessness and trauma in high school.

1. Normalize mental health. Talk about mental health openly and often. Youth noted that “destigmatizing depression, anxiety, and mental illness, in general, would be a big step in the right direction. Nurses and counselors could visit classrooms and discuss the commonality of things like this.
2. Increase awareness of existing counseling services and mental health supports. Many students may not be aware that schools have counselors they can speak with in confidence. If they are aware, they might not feel comfortable in their ability to access those programs and services. For example, only 48% of African American students reported feeling like they were able to reach out to a teacher about mental health concerns, compared to 57% of white students.
3. Invest in Staffing: Schools need to “have enough staff that students are able to make personal connections, and to help foster informal check-ins.” It takes time for McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons, school counselors, social workers, teachers, nurses, and others to build trust with students. Such investments in students’ emotional health must be valued and prioritized. Schools and districts can use the American Rescue Plan Homeless Children and Youth funds to hire more counselors and social workers and/or add hours specifically to work with students experiencing homelessness.
4. In addition to providing staff and resources to ensure student mental health needs are met, schools should offer supports that acknowledge that students of color disproportionately encounter stress and mental health needs. Hire staff and counselors of color who can empathize with student needs, and know that not all students of color have the same mental health needs. Several schools and districts have implemented “grow-your-own” programs to recruit former students to work in schools as educators and counselors. In Washington state, Wahluke School District’s Academia Bilingüe de Wahluke actively recruits bilingual graduates to serve as teachers. Research shows that the risks for mental health issues in students of color are reduced by having teachers with similar backgrounds, which can help students experience a positive school environment and high levels of social support.
5. Increase school-based mental health supports and services. Offer school phones in private locations for students to call suicide hotlines whenever needed. Youth experiencing homelessness often struggle to maintain functioning cell phones and cell phone plans, yet suicide hotlines provide support and a listening ear that literally save lives. Create school-based peer educational training programs to inform young people about depression and suicidality and to support students experiencing these risk behaviors.
6. Respect youth autonomy. A consensus among youth surveyed was to “let students know what resources are available to them. Be clear about the procedure followed when students disclose [suicidal thoughts] so they can make an informed choice about disclosure—don’t force interventions that students don’t want, [and] let them know what they need to do to avoid them. [Not] allowing students to safely disclose suicidal feelings is more dangerous than allowing someone to leave after disclosing.”
7. Review all school policies to ensure they are trauma-informed and specifically consider the trauma and needs of students experiencing homelessness.

Bullying

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Bullying has many negative effects for students and schools. Students who are bullied are more likely to experience:

• Depression and anxiety, loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.
• Decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

High school students experiencing homelessness are 2.59 times more likely to be bullied on school property or electronically compared to their stably housed peers. More than one in three students experiencing homelessness reported being a victim of bullying at school.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Never stigmatize or segregate students experiencing homelessness*. Keep information about a student’s homelessness private unless there is a particular reason for a school staff member to know**. Always speak to parents and students prior to disclosing their homelessness to other school staff.

*Federal law requires state and local educational agencies to “adopt policies and practices to ensure that homeless children and youths are not stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their status as homeless.” 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(J)(i).
**Information about a child’s or youth’s homeless living situation is protected as a student education record under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(G).

2. Know about your obligations under your state’s anti-bullying law. Also learn about federal laws that require schools to address harassment and discrimination. Work to establish rules and policies to let the entire school community know the expectations around bullying and procedures to report and investigate when something happens.

3. Train staff and students on the importance of ally behavior and speaking up when they observe bullying.

4. Provide students experiencing homelessness with access to showers, hygiene supplies, clothing, athletic equipment, school supplies, and other materials to help them participate fully in school without standing out from their peers.

5. Take a public health approach to bullying prevention. An approved training program is available at stopbullying.gov.

6. Avoid common “misdirections” in bullying prevention. Zero tolerance policies often fail, because as many as one in five students admits to bullying their peers occasionally. Bullying also can be an early indicator of other problem behaviors. Even conflict resolution and peer mediation programs may send the wrong message about bullying to the victim. Instead, adopt restorative justice practices school wide, which seek to build a sense of community and restore relationships by placing emphasis on healing the wounds of victims, bullies, and communities.

Dating Violence

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Many studies, including SchoolHouse Connection’s YRBS research, have found that youth experiencing homelessness are disproportionately likely be raped and sexually assaulted. For high school students experiencing homelessness, this heightened risk transfers into intimate partner relationships.

High school students experiencing homelessness were 5.03 times more likely to be victims of sexual dating violence compared to their stably housed peers.

The risk rose even higher for physical dating violence, with high school students experiencing homelessness 5.88 times more likely to be victims of physical dating violence compared to their stably housed peers. One in four high school students experiencing homelessness reported being a victim of physical dating violence.

Youth who are victims of physical or sexual dating violence are more likely to:

• Experience symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Engage in unhealthy behaviors, like using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol
• Exhibit antisocial behaviors, like lying, theft, bullying or hitting
• Think about suicide*

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019). Preventing Teen Dating Violence.

Schools can help prevent dating violence among all students.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Incorporate education about dating violence and safety into existing curricula. Infuse the school and district culture with messaging about healthy relationships. As one young person who experienced homelessness stated: “Educate [students about] what physical and sexual dating violence looks like so they can identify whether they are in a violent relationship. Explain prevention methods, how to deescalate a physically and sexually violent person, [and] how to leave such a relationship without promoting any more violence. When I was experiencing sexual violence in a relationship, I did not realize right away that it was abuse even though I knew I was being coerced.”
2. Create targeted resources for female students, male students, and LGBTQ and non-binary youth. Ensure resources and curricula are culturally competent, recognizing that sexual minority groups and some racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected.
3. Develop comprehensive school policies addressing healthy relationships and abuse intervention and response. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence offers sample policies.
4. Implement programs like Expect Respect or the Relationship Abuse Prevention Program in your school.
5. Create safe spaces in schools for students to discuss dating violence. Ensure that McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons, school counselors, teachers, nurses, and other staff have time to build trust and have conversations with students. Such investments in students’ emotional and physical health must be valued and prioritized.
6. Educate teachers and staff about warning signs of dating violence and what to do if they suspect a student is in an unhealthy relationship. In the case that a student discloses concerns about dating violence, advise all staff members to withhold judgement; explain the limits of their confidentiality; empower the student to make their own decisions by providing resources; and never to approach the suspected abuser about the situation, even if they have a relationship with that person.
7. Partner with community-based health organizations to make helpful resources such as healthcare, counseling, or legal aid accessible to all students.

Rape and Sexual Assault

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The very nature of not having a safe place to sleep places youth experiencing homelessness at serious risk of sexual assault. Shelters don’t exist in many communities, or are full, or don’t accept minors; many youth also are afraid of adult shelters. As a result, most high school students experiencing homelessness are staying temporarily in the homes of other people. All too often, youth are victims of sexual assault and rape at the hands of their “hosts.” In fact, high school students staying in all homeless situations — including motels, shelters, with other people, and in unsheltered locations – are disproportionately likely to be raped and sexually assaulted.

High school students experiencing homelessness were 4.11 times more likely to be raped compared to their stably housed peers. Nearly one in four high school students experiencing homelessness reported being forced to have sexual intercourse.

Similarly, high school students experiencing homelessness were 5.59 times more likely to be forced to do sexual things (defined as kissing, touching, or sexual intercourse) compared to stably housed youth. Over a twelve month period, one in three high school students experiencing homelessness reported being forced to do sexual things.

Schools can help prevent rape and sexual assault of students, as well as supporting survivors.

Action Steps for Schools

1. Create a school- and district-wide culture of respect of physical and sexual boundaries and limits. Infuse classes and extra-curricular activities with messaging about the need for affirmative consent before proceeding with sexual activity.
2. Incorporate education about sexual violence and safety into existing health classes. Be sure the curriculum is supportive of survivors and includes information about who at school is trained to talk to students who have been raped or sexually assaulted.
3. Offer school phones in private locations for students to call rape or sexual assault hotlines whenever needed. Youth experiencing homelessness often struggle to maintain functioning cell phones and cell phone plans.
4. Collaborate with community providers to ensure access to services for survivors of rape and sexual assault, as well as information about sexual health and safety. Consider likely barriers to services for students experiencing homelessness, such as lack of transportation and money for co-pays or sliding scale services.
5. Revise mandatory child protective services reporting requirements to allow youth to request and receive services without involving the child welfare system. One of SchoolHouse Connection’s Young Leaders articulated a common concern: “I would emphasize confidential, non-reporting counseling options. Having experienced this kind of violence, I never sought the therapy that could have helped me cope or provided me with strategies to better my situation for fear of legal reporting requirements.”

Pregnancy Rates of High School Students Experiencing Homelessness

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The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was first developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1990 to assess the health risk behaviors of youth and adults in the United States. For the 2017 survey administration, two optional questions about homelessness were added to the survey, with 17 states responding to those optional questions. In 2019, 27 states responded to the optional questions. The 2021 standard questionnaire will, for the first time, include one question about homelessness. States will also have the opportunity to choose an additional optional question. SchoolHouse Connection analyzed demographic and risk factor data from the YRBS in 27 states*, comparing high school students experiencing homelessness and those not experiencing homelessness. This series shares the striking and heartbreaking results of that analysis, with tangible action steps schools can take to promote safety and health for students experiencing homelessness.

*AK, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MT, NH, NM, NC, ND, PA, RI, SC, SD, VT, VA, WI

For the 2019 YRBS, states and participating districts could choose to ask a question on the survey about becoming or getting someone pregnant: “How many times have you been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant?” SchoolHouse Connection’s analysis of responses indicated that students experiencing homelessness were 10 times more likely to have become pregnant or gotten someone pregnant.* Additionally, students who have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant were 10 times more likely to experience homelessness than students who had not been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant. These numbers vary based upon living situation and race/ethnicity:

*These statistics were obtained by analyzing data from districts and states who included both a question about homelessness and a question about pregnancy on their survey, which limited the sample size to three districts and two states: Cleveland, OH; Eaton Consortium, MI; Genesee Consortium, MI; California; and Michigan. Two additional districts asked both questions, but their data was not available. Due to small sample size, these estimates may be statistically unreliable. However, based on other analyses of homeless students, it is likely that even with a larger sample size, these same trends would hold true.”

• Students living in shelters were the most likely to have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant – 40%, or 20x the rate of students living in their parent’s or guardian’s home. 
• Overall, Hispanic/Latinx students experiencing homelessness were more likely to have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant than students of other races and ethnicities.
• Students experiencing homelessness were also 12 times more likely than their housed peers to indicate they were not sure if they had been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant.

Becoming pregnant or getting someone pregnant as a teenager has implications for both parent and child. Only 50% of teen mothers graduate high school by the age of 22.* Lack of a high school degree can lead to continued homelessness into young adulthood, particularly for young parents. The greatest single risk factor for young adult homelessness is lacking a high school diploma or GED, while the second risk factor is being a single parent.** These risks are exacerbated for youth of color. Further, the children of teen parents are more likely to drop out of high school, face health risks, interact with the justice system, and experience unemployment as a young adult.*** Supporting students experiencing homelessness who become pregnant or have gotten someone pregnant carries the potential for two-generational impact. 

*Centers for Disease Control, “About Teen Pregnancy” (2021)
**Chapin Hall (2017). Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America.
*** Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “About Teen Pregnancy”, 2021

Strategies for Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Students Experiencing Homelessness

1. Provide access to medical care
   • Healthy development begins while children are still in the womb. Providing access to routine medical care for young parents experiencing homelessness can promote healthy growth for children, and ensure risks associated with pregnancy are minimized. For unaccompanied homeless youth, many states have revised their laws to make sure these young people are able to access routine medical care, and many states have specific laws allowing minors to consent for prenatal care and care for their children. Programs like Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) and Early Head Start provide federal funding to local programs who offer support and care to parents and children, particularly those experiencing homelessness. DC Public Schools partners with area hospitals and medical providers to offer school-based health centers on seven high school campuses. Those centers offer family planning services, pregnancy testing, and prenatal care, as well as medical care for any children of enrolled high school students. Each health center also recognizes minor consent to medical care for students who qualify as unaccompanied homeless youth. 
2. Increase Identification and Support by Building Connections between McKinney-Vento and Title IX Programs 
   • Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex, which includes protections for pregnant and parenting students. These protections include excused absences due to pregnancy or childbirth, the opportunity to make-up any missed work; and requires colleges and universities to appoint a Title IX coordinator to work with pregnant and parenting students. (United States Department of Education, “Know Your Rights: Pregnant or Parenting? Title IX Protects you from Discrimination at School”, 2020.) Schools and districts can strengthen support for students experiencing homelessness who are pregnant or parenting by offering opportunities for McKinney-Vento and Title IX program administrators to connect. For example, school districts across New Mexico offer the Graduation, Reality, and Dual-Role Skills (GRADS) program for pregnant and parenting students. As part of their staff training, they invited McKinney-Vento district liaisons to participate and facilitated conversations that highlighted the intersections of both programs, along with strategies for utilizing both programs in order to meet student needs. The GRADS program has enjoyed an 82% graduation rate of their expecting and parenting students, well above the national average. 
3. Provide options for continuing and finishing high school education
   • Young parents in high school often experience multiple interruptions in their coursework on the path to a diploma. Homelessness makes staying in school even more difficult. Schools can help alleviate these competing demands by offering supports like flexible class scheduling, one-on-one counselors, and on-site child care. In Baltimore, Maryland, the United Way of Central Maryland created a Neighborhood Zone which includes a child care center inside of Benjamin Franklin High School, providing on-site child care for parents who are finishing their high school diploma. Importantly, the child care center is not a “drop and go;” staff work to build relationships with and engage both children and their student parents to ensure healthy development and support for both generations. As a result, 70% of student parents have graduated high school (compared to 50% nationally), 172 children have received high-quality, early childhood education, and 96% of children avoided a disruptive school transfer when their families were forced to move. 
4. Remove barriers for enrolling in and completing postsecondary education
   • Fewer than 2% of teen mothers earn a college degree before age 30, and more than half of all parenting college students leave school without a degree. For young parents experiencing homelessness, accessing postsecondary opportunities can feel impossible. Understanding the application process, navigating financial aid that will be sufficient for a growing family, and ensuring housing that accommodates children are all priorities. Colleges and universities are responding to the needs of pregnant and parenting students experiencing homelessness in multiple ways:
     • Increasing identification by partnering with Financial Aid to use the FAFSA to identify students under age 24 who have listed dependents and, therefore, might be parenting youth who are struggling to meet basic needs.
     • Misericordia University provides furnished housing year-round for single mothers. In addition to providing housing, Misericordia also covers costs of textbooks, meal plans, medical needs, and laundry access for single mothers and even provides them the opportunity to study abroad.
     • Wilson College will cover the cost of child care for school age children at the YMCA.