Getting Answers: Why have California homeless youth numbers increased since pandemic?
SACRAMENTO — There are more students who are experiencing homelessness now than there were in 2020. New state numbers show 16,000 more youth don't have a permanent address — the total statewide homeless student population is more than 187,000.
The housing crisis is to blame. A lack of affordable housing, inflation, post-COVID economic issues and unemployment all contributed to this spike in unhoused youth.
How do we fix it?
"I moved into affordable housing last Friday," Taiyanna Nita said Wednesday. "I'd been on the waiting list for months. It's hard."
Nita's a mother of three and she hasn't felt this at peace in months.
"It was a moment of fresh air, for sure, to be in a place that's safe, taken care of, breath of fresh air," she said.
Nita experienced displacement due to domestic violence. She turned to the nonprofit Family Promise to find affordable housing for her family. It took her months and many rejections.
"It's hard to find subsidized housing," Nita said. "It almost seemed nearly impossible to get aimed in the right way. It was hard to find resources. Family Promise has helped out a lot."
Nita said she's not surprised to learn the number of youth experiencing homelessness has gone up statewide. Look at the numbers locally across five of the largest districts in the region.
Elk Grove Unified had more than a 36% increase in homeless youth. Sacramento City Unified had nearly 30%. Stockton Unified had an 11% increase from 2020 to now. San Juan Unified, the outlier locally, had a 28% decrease in homeless youth. That's more than 1,000 students.
What's the solution?
"We have to be prepared to create policy solutions for families who are experiencing poverty, homelessness, displacement," said Dr. Angela James, research director at UCLA.
The list of resources in the five aforementioned districts includes liaisons, food programs, and housing assistance resources — too many to name. That's a start, one education expert says.
"We have to be concerned with identification so we can support students and their families with the resources they need," Dr. James said.
Advice from one parent to the thousands of others who may be up against the same: "if you keep your faith, there's resources out there to help."
