A record 1 in 8 NYC students experienced homelessness last school year
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About one in eight children in America's most populous city experienced homelessness last school year, according to a report released on Monday.
The big picture: Student homelessness, which tracks with worsening federal homelessness trends, is nationally linked to higher rates of chronic absenteeism and drop outs.
- More than 100,000 New York City public school students have been identified as homeless each school year for nine consecutive years, according to Advocates for Children of New York, a nonprofit organization that helps students who face barriers to academic success.
By the numbers: More than 146,000 NYC students experienced homelessness in the 2023-24 school year,
- 54% of those students were "doubled-up," meaning they temporarily lived with friends or relatives because of losing housing or economic hardship. About 41% spent time in city shelters.
What they're saying: "Children who were in kindergarten the first year the city hit the ignominious 100,000 threshold have now started high school," the report said.
- "The only school system they have ever known is one in which there are more students without a permanent place to call home than there are seats at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field combined."
State of play: Homelessness across the U.S. reached a record high in 2023, per a December report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Nationwide, families with children saw a 16% increase from the year prior.
- Black, African and Indigenous people were overrepresented in the federal data of people experiencing homelessness.
Zoom in: The number of students in temporary housing rose in 2023-24 relative to the prior school year in all 32 of New York City's community school districts, according to Monday's report.
- In 2022-23, a majority of students in temporary housing and shelters were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least one of every 10 school days.
- Students living in shelters dropped out of high school at triple the rate of permanently housed peers.
Between the lines: The record highs were driven partially by the increase in the number of immigrant families and asylum seekers in New York City, according to the report.
- City officials asked for federal aid last year to address the influx of asylum seekers arriving in New York City. In September 2023, officials said the city was "out of space" and tried to veer off migrants.
Go deeper: Homelessness in the U.S. jumped to record level in 2023, government says
