Kids require ‘urgent’ help
111,000 students homeless: study
More than 111,000 city students experienced homelessness last school year — the fifth consecutive year more than 100,000 public school families have gone without stable housing, according to a report released Thursday.
“The vast scale of student homelessness in New York City demands urgent attention,” said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children, the group that compiled the findings based on data from the state Education Department.
“If these children comprised their own city, it would be larger than Albany ... The city must act now to put more support in place for students who are homeless,” she added.
The number of students who spent time in a homeless shelter or living doubled up with family or friends is down slightly from last year, according to the new data. But advocates warn that city schools might be having a harder time this year identifying which students are homeless because of the pandemic.
Moreover, the number is likely to grow if state officials lift a moratorium on evictions, Sweet warned.
Homeless students have long struggled to keep pace academically, with lower rates of reading proficiency and graduation than peers in stable housing. Advocates warn those challenges have only been magnified by the pandemic and the switch to remote learning.
Kids living in city shelters have battled unreliable internet access, and those living doubled up with family and friends can face crowded conditions that make it difficult to concentrate.
Bronx mother Areinny Lacayo, who lives in a shelter with her 5-year-old son, has struggled all fall to consistently log into her son’s remote classes. Most city shelters do not offer Wi-Fi, and though city-issued iPads come equipped with cellular data plans, some family shelters don’t get strong enough reception to reliably stream live video meetings.
“I can’t get into the class because the signal for internet is not very good,” Lacayo told the Daily News in Spanish. “I keep complaining and complaining because I want my kid to learn.”
Lacayo’s son Kenyell was attending in-person classes two to three days a week before the city school system temporarily shut down, and is scheduled to restart in-person classes next week.
But on the days he’s home, even when the family can log in to the internet, Lacayo doesn’t feel “capable” of giving him the academic support he needs. “My problem now is I don’t speak English ... this is so frustrating,” she said.
More than 30,000 city families spent time in a homeless shelter last school year, while about 73,000 lived doubled up, according to the state data. City officials have pledged to move towards five days a week of in-person learning when schools reopen, with additional priority for students who are homeless. Lacayo said she would welcome that possibility, as long as the school remains vigilant about enforcing social-distancing guidelines.
Officials are also switching over city-issued iPads from T-Mobile to Verizon in shelters with poor cellular reception, and have committed to install Wi-Fi in family shelters — though the installations will likely not be finished until next summer.
“These students remain top of mind during this crisis,” said Education Department spokeswoman Sarah Casasnovas, “and we continue to work closely with advocates like AFC and partner agencies to provide caring, supportive environments whether in-person or remote.”