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Hernando Today

Homeless Students Expected To Increase

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: August 1, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - When people think of the word "homeless," they typically don't think of all the things that have to remain constant while a family is losing its home - going to school, catching the bus and completing homework, for example.

But with the unemployment and foreclosure rates in Hernando County hitting record highs, school district officials are expecting the number of students without homes enrolled in local schools this fall to skyrocket.

Last year, the district had 101 students whose parents or guardians said they were homeless on school enrollment forms, according to district figures.

While figures from the past several years were not available at press time, student services director Jim Knight said the number of homeless students in the district has been steadily rising since 2004, when officials began tracking it.

"I'm sure that number is going to go up this year," Knight said. "We're interested to see what it does."

The district goes by the federal definition of homelessness, broadly defined as anyone living with another family because they cannot find or afford affordable housing. It also includes anyone living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, campground, vehicle, shelter or substandard housing.

Knight explained that parents are asked to specify their living situation while enrolling their child in school. While they must specify an address on their enrollment form, those who are not in a permanent living situation may place a request for their child to attend a specific school, he said.

"I've already had two or three people this year whose houses have been repossessed and have put in requests for special attendance," Knight said. "For example, they're staying in one area, but want their child to attend a different school."

The situations vary. Some parents have been evicted because they lost their jobs and couldn't afford the rent, while others have left unsafe conditions or have been asked to leave due to too many people living in a home.

In many cases, the families are split up. Parents will go to a shelter, while children stay with relatives temporarily until the family can get back on its feet, Knight said.

All referrals for homeless students are forwarded to district social worker Carol McAvoy, who works with families to ensure that children receive any services they need. Transportation and other help is provided on a case-by-case basis.

In January, the Mid-Florida Homeless Coalition reported that on any given day, 196 people live throughout the county in shelters, woods or other temporary residences.

On the day their survey was conducted, they counted 134 children - and of those, 14 were living on the street, executive director Barbara Wheeler said.

"That means 121 others are most likely living doubled- and tripled-up in houses," she said. "That's a lot of children in your community that are most likely sleeping on floors and could basically end up on the street any day. The person they're staying with could say 'enough is enough' and they'd be (without housing)."

Like the school district, officials at the agency - which acts as a referral service for other local assistance organizations - expect to see those numbers increase.

"At least those children have a roof over their heads. But our concern is that as times get tougher, there will be more and more people living on the street," Wheeler said, pointing out that Hernando County does not have a shelter for families facing homelessness.

She said agency officials are particularly worried about the trickle-down effect of foreclosures, and the number of people being displaced because the home they are renting has been foreclosed upon.

"Like any of us, if someone told us we had to move out today, would we have the money to move to another place? The answer for most of us is no," Wheeler said. "Hernando County has a large number of people being displaced."

When children are forced to move from place to place, it's extremely important to try to keep them in the same school, she added.

"Studies have shown that every time a child moves, they lose three to six months worth of school," Wheeler said. "Families have told me they are literally moving from home to home on a weekly basis, which means the child is possibly moving from one school to another each week."

School social workers also must pay attention to signs students may need help, since peer pressure prevents many kids from admitting it upfront, she said.

"Kids are not always the nicest to each other," Wheeler said. "They don't want their peers to know they're homeless because they don't want to be made fun of."

For more on homelessness and local resources, go to www.fchonline.org.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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