Let’s end homelessness in Tennessee once and for all!

HB 1000 will help break the cycle of homelessness by providing homeless youth with the education that leads to stable employment and housing.

Click here to contact Representative Coley today and ask him to support HB 1000!

Education Ends Homelessness

The majority of well-paying jobs created since 2010 require some education beyond high school. Young people experiencing homelessness know that higher education is the key to ending their homelessness, permanently.

College graduates also contribute significantly to the state’s economy. In the 2016-17 school year, 533 Tennessee college students were determined to be unaccompanied homeless youth for the purpose of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Just those 533 students could contribute $750,000 in tax revenue if they complete a four-year degree. 

 HB 1000 will increase college graduation for youth experiencing homelessness, at no cost to the state.

 

1 College Graduate

$ In Taxes

533 College Graduates

$ In Taxes

“We worked with one student who would sleep in the MTSU library during the day and study in cubbies around campus at night. We worked with another who became homeless when his mother passed away, and he developed health problems. He wound up dropping out of school and is now living in the woods, with hopes he will be able to return to school to finish his degree soon.”

HB 1000 contains two proven strategies to increase college graduation for youth experiencing homelessness and tax revenue for Tennessee:

  1. Designating an existing staff member to serve as Homeless Student Liaison, providing referrals and support to homeless students
  2. Give homeless students priority access to available on-campus housing.

TN colleges and universities like MTSU and Pellissippi State Community College already go beyond HB 1000 and have shown that these strategies work. Without requiring additional expenditures, the bill helps ensure homeless youth can enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

Statistics in Tennessee

Number of homeless students in Tennessee's Public Schools

Tennessee’s public schools identified 16,851 homeless students in the 2016-17 school year, including 930 high school seniors.

Prevalence of homelessness

The prevalence of homelessness is statistically identical in rural and urban areas.

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