Student homelessness is a humanitarian crisis

While it is true there is a cost associated with providing extra services to educate homeless students (“Youth homelessness surges in Bay Area, Page 1B, Oct. 9), we need to remember that the issue of student homelessness is not a business transaction, but rather a humanitarian crisis.

A recently released report from the Bill Wilson Center showed that nearly 17 percent of high school students in Santa Clara County were couch surfing and homeless. Without our help, these youths are poised to fall off the couch into a life of chronic homelessness.

Every school district should take the extra time to find out how many homeless couch surfing students they have and work with service providers throughout the Bay Area to help stabilize these youths and their families. Partnerships between schools and agencies, like San Jose Unified School District and the Bill Wilson Center, are helping hundreds of families avoid street homelessness, but so much more can be done if we all work together. — Sparky Harlan, CEO, Bill Wilson Center