EVERETT — The number of homeless students tallied statewide rose by more than half in the past five years. Snohomish County saw a similar increase, though in places such as Darrington the homeless count has tripled and in Edmonds the number has stayed about the same.
The Office of the S
uperintendent of Public Instruction in December reported that of the state’s 1.04 million school kids, nearly 22,000 were homeless last year. That’s a figure up 5 percent from the previous school year and up 56.5 percent from 2005-06.
“It’s not just chronic homelessness anymore,” said Cynthia Jones, Everett Public Schools’ homeless liaison. “We have children whose parents lost their jobs and then lost their homes to foreclosure. This is really scary and most people don’t know what to do.”
Of the 1,754 homeless elementary, middle and high school students counted in Snohomish County last school year, most stayed with extended family, surfed friends’ couches or were put up in shelters or motels.
Still, school officials recorded that at least 41 kids of all ages slept in vehicles, public parks, abandoned buildings or on the street.
Even one child on the street is too many, Jones said.
The face of homelessness has changed dramatically especially over the last couple of years, she said.
“Federal law requires that we keep track of homeless children and provide them equal access to public education. Nevertheless, we feel strongly about this, and we are working hard to help families,” Jones said. “Part of the problem is that all of our social service agencies and shelters have reached their limits. The resources are maxed out.”
The reason Everett School District lists so many homeless students is because most of the county’s temporary and emergency housing shelters are in the city, Jones said.
Other high percentages of homelessness are in Granite Falls, Darrington and Lakewood. In Marysville and Monroe, school districts reported smaller overall percentages of homeless students, but increased numbers of students living on the streets.
State officials agree that one of the reasons for the increase in homelessness is the rising number of families who are still out of work and not able to offer regular housing for their children.
In addition, school districts around the state are doing a better job of reporting their homeless student population, said state OSPI spokesman Nathan Olson.
On the other hand, state officials also assume that some number of homeless children go uncounted.
“Because of the stigma attached to homelessness, some families don’t tell others they are homeless,” said Melinda Dyer, state program supervisor the education of homeless children and youth.
And, Leanne Brisbois, homeless liaison for the Edmonds School District, said homelessness also can be a result of an abusive home situation.
“Father leaves, mother is evicted, children suffer,” Brisbois said.
The lack of a stable home puts tremendous pressure on homeless students, Brisbois said.
Health problems, high absentee rates and lower graduation rates often result.
Homeless children who stay in the same school progress with their classmates. Homeless teens who can stay in school have hope for a future, Jones said.
The federal government gives the state about $850,000 a year to help homeless students.
“We try to make sure students can stay at their school of origin, that they get transportation to that school, receive lunch and school supplies and sometimes have some of their fees paid,” Jones said. “We even bought a cheerleading uniform for one student. The idea is to ensure full participation.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Homeless students in Snohomish County
| School district | Enrolled | Homeless | % of total | Shelters, motels, friends | Cars, street |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | 5,500 | 65 | 1.2% | 65 | 0 |
| Darrington | 490 | 16 | 3.3% | 16 | 0 |
| Edmonds | 20,625 | 289 | 1.4% | 286 | 3 |
| Everett | 19,000 | 630 | 3.3% | 627 | 3 |
| Granite Falls | 2,300 | 121 | 5.2% | 115 | 6 |
| Index | 30 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| Lake Stevens | 7,900 | 84 | 1.1% | 81 | 3 |
| Lakewood | 2,500 | 71 | 2.8% | 67 | 4 |
| Marysville | 11,600 | 55 | 0.5% | 50 | 5 |
| Monroe | 7,800 | 55 | 0.7% | 47 | 8 |
| Mukilteo | 14,400 | 178 | 1.2% | 176 | 2 |
| Snohomish | 9,900 | 101 | 1.0% | 95 | 6 |
| Stanwood-Camano | 5,100 | 74 | 1.5% | 73 | 1 |
| Sultan | 2,200 | 15 | 0.7% | 15 | 0 |
| Total | 109,345 | 1,754 | 1.6% | 1,713 | 41 |
Data from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2009-10 school year. (Data corrected Jan. 19, 2011. The story and chart originally omitted Granite Falls statistics.)
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