Getting Answers: Why have California homeless youth numbers increased since pandemic?

SACRAMENTO — There are extra college students who’re experiencing homelessness now than there have been in 2020. New state numbers present greater than 16,000 youth haven’t got a everlasting tackle — the full statewide homeless scholar inhabitants is greater than 187,000.

The housing disaster is accountable. An absence of inexpensive housing, inflation, post-COVID financial points and unemployment all contributed to this spike in unhoused youth.

How can we repair it?

“I moved into inexpensive housing final Friday,” Taiyanna Nita stated Wednesday. “I would been on the ready checklist for months. It is exhausting.”

Nita’s a mom of three and she or he hasn’t felt this at peace in months.

“It was a second of contemporary air, for certain, to be in a spot that is protected, taken care of, breath of contemporary air,” she stated.

Nita skilled displacement resulting from home violence. She turned to the nonprofit Household Promise to seek out inexpensive housing for her household. It took her months and plenty of rejections.

“It is exhausting to seek out sponsored housing,” Nita stated. “It nearly appeared almost unattainable to get aimed in the proper manner. It was exhausting to seek out assets. Household Promise has helped out loads.”

Nita stated she’s not shocked to study the variety of youth experiencing homelessness has gone up statewide. Have a look at the numbers domestically throughout 5 of the biggest districts within the area.

Elk Grove Unified had greater than a 36% improve in homeless youth. Sacramento Metropolis Unified had almost 30%. Stockton Unified had an 11% improve from 2020 to now. San Juan Unified, the outlier domestically, had a 28% lower in homeless youth. That is greater than 1,000 college students.

What is the resolution?

“We’ve to be ready to create coverage options for households who’re experiencing poverty, homelessness, displacement,” stated Dr. Angela James, analysis director at UCLA.

The checklist of assets within the 5 aforementioned districts contains liaisons, meals applications, and housing help assets — too many to call. That is a begin, one schooling skilled says.

“We’ve to be involved with identification so we are able to help college students and their households with the assets they want,” Dr. James stated.

Recommendation from one guardian to the hundreds of others who could also be up in opposition to the identical: “if you happen to maintain your religion, there’s assets on the market to assist.”