Poverty Solutions at The University of Michigan has released a policy brief: A Snapshot of Homelessness and Housing Instability in Michigan Schools, which shows Michigan ranks 6th in the U.S. for the largest population of homeless youth.
Poverty Solutions at The University of Michigan has released a policy brief: A Snapshot of Homelessness and Housing Instability in Michigan Schools, which shows Michigan ranks 6th in the U.S. for the largest population of homeless youth.
This data, in combination with a new state analysis by Poverty Solutions shows the impact of homelessness on student achievement.
“These data show a much deeper level of poverty than has previously been recognized in Michigan and it is impacting rural, suburban and urban areas alike,” Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate with U-M’s Poverty Solutions initiative said. “Families across our state do not have a stable place to call home. We need to understand why and what can be done in local communities to turn this trend around. No child should ever have to be homeless.”
Highlights of the data from the policy brief and state analysis:
Only 55 percent of homeless high schoolers in Michigan graduated in four years. That’s compared to 68 percent of economically disadvantaged students. The average graduation rate in Michigan is 80 percent.
While dropout rates are on the decline for economically disadvantaged students and all other students, they have increased for homeless students.
Homelessness is a statewide issue in rural, suburban and urban areas. About 94 percent of Michigan’s Local Education Authorities (LEAs) reported students struggling with homelessness and housing instability.
Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Detroit Public School Districts reported the highest number of homeless students.
While numbers may be higher in urban areas, the largest proportions of homeless students were located in small towns and rural areas. For instance, in Berrien Springs Public Schools they have half the number of homeless students of an urban area but proportionally, 11 percent of their students are homeless.
Some of the highest rates of student homelessness were found in our smallest school districts. A dozen school districts which serve fewer than 1,400 students reported that anywhere from 14 to 25 percent of their students experienced homelessness during the school year.
Homeless students are more likely to transfer schools, have long commutes, struggle with poor health and be chronically absent.
Recommendations from Poverty Solutions:
Increase access to data on homelessness on the local level to inform policymakers, communities and schools.
Identify and address potential undercounts of homeless students to ensure accurate data.
Build awareness and collaboration across governmental agencies, from housing to education.
Support the development of community partnerships with local schools that may help fill the gaps for those struggling with housing instability.
The report calls for policies and actions that can support children and their families, stating in part, “It is also important that policies implemented to address homelessness be flexible, so they can be tailored to the local context of every region of the state.”
In conjunction with the brief and state analysis, Poverty Solutions at U-M has also developed a child homelessness map to provide a county-by-county snapshot of the data.
Poverty Solutions provided data and context around their work at the statewide Chronic Absenteeism Summit last fall, hosted by the P-20 Education Affinity Group, CMF, OFL and CMF members The Skillman Foundation and Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Poverty Solutions continues to inform the P-20 Education Affinity Group.
A few highlights of CMF members working in homelessness and housing issues around the state:
Earlier this month Sanilac County Community Foundation hosted a Student vs. Homelessness match day with their Youth Advisory Council (YAC), raising $40,000 for Sanilac County Rescue Mission.
The Midland Daily News reported that the Dow Chemical Co. Foundation and the Midland Area Community Foundation, both CMF members, helped to fund a study on housing affordability in the Midland area, which revealed a housing burden on low-income renters.
CMF members, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and Northwood Foundation are supporters of Out, Safe, Proud (OSP), an organization focusing on ending homelessness for LGBTQ youth in Kalamazoo County.
Want more?
Read Poverty Solutions’ policy brief: A Snapshot of Homelessness and Housing Instability in Michigan Schools.
Check out the state analysis, Falling Through the Cracks: Graduation and Dropout Rates among Michigan’s Homeless High School Students.
View your county on the Child Homelessness in Michigan map.
Want to get engaged with other CMF members that focus on this and other education related issues? Connect with CMF’s P-20 Education Affinity Group.
