Financial Hardship, Homelessness on the Rise for Families with Children

(January 31, 2025)

This Bold Voices blog post was written by one of Allies for Children’s partners about a subject that is relevant to their work as well as ours.
Today’s blog was written by:
Ana Kay Yaghoubian. Ana Kay has served as director of Building for Success in School and Life at United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania since January 2022.


Families with children in our region and throughout Pennsylvania are experiencing unprecedented levels of financial hardship and homelessness, according to two recently released reports. Community leaders must take collaborative action to address this growing challenge and its long-term implications for children in our community.

Students Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania: A 2024 Update from Research for Action, details the widespread undercounting and under-investment in students experiencing homelessness. These students tend to be concentrated in the state’s most under-resourced schools. They are also increasingly enrolling in cyber charter schools, which may be a last resort for families who experience challenges in school enrollment and students who have high rates of absenteeism. The resulting lack of educational opportunities leads to gaps in academic outcomes. Pandemic-era resources are winding down, but this population of extremely vulnerable students continues to grow. State and local policymakers and school leaders will need to prioritize the needs of students experiencing homelessness or in unstable living conditions.

The prevalence of student homelessness statewide has increased since 2013, despite what seems to be chronic under-identification of this population. The Pennsylvania Department of Education reported that in the 2021-22 school year 40,300 children and youth were identified as homeless. The 2021-22 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows substantially higher numbers of Pennsylvania youth – nearly 47,000 during the 2022-2023 school year (1) – experiencing housing insecurity. This discrepancy often has to do with the definition used by schools and other government agencies, and whether families who are in transition and potentially living with another family after a crisis are included. Even when students are identified as experiencing homelessness, they are often denied adequate support and resources. We also need to acknowledge that it isn’t just the students experiencing homelessness who are in critical need of resources, but also their families.

One local organization working to address these challenges is the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF). Brian Knight, HCEF’s Chief Operating Officer, says, “We desperately need to focus on expanding services to meet these students’ unique needs, particularly with respect to job readiness. If we aren’t willing to invest in our most vulnerable young people now to prepare them for contemporary workspaces, our economy will bear the cost with interest down the road.” The HCEF Teen CEO (Career Exploration Opportunity) program gives youth who have experienced homelessness the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations by providing access to a summer job program, caring adults, training and resources to help shape their futures.

ALICE in Focus: Children in Financial Hardship, a recent report from United Way of Pennsylvania, provides another perspective on child poverty. This report details how children who are part of the Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) population are faring. This population includes those living at or below the federal poverty line (FPL) and those who earn more than the poverty line but not enough to meet their basic needs. These families and individuals are often one emergency away from a financial crisis. By 2022, almost 220,000 households in Allegheny County (41%) were below the ALICE threshold, and 27% of those were families with children. (2) Family financial stability is one of the strongest predictors of current and future well-being. Financial instability not only contributes to daily experiences of stress, trauma and hardship now, but also impedes a child’s opportunity for future success, including access to higher education, a higher income and long-term asset building. (2)

Because this is such a complex challenge, it will take many sectors working together to meet the needs of these families and children. To more effectively address the growing epidemic of child homelessness and financial hardship state and local legislators, the philanthropic community, schools and community-based organizations must work together. More accurate and consistent counting of the number of children and families experiencing homelessness is needed, as are better systems to increase collaboration with schools, which play a crucial role in identifying and supporting housing-insecure children and families. Collaboration among schools, shelter and housing programs can help ensure that children and families receive needed academic, social and emotional supports unique to this population. It is the responsibility of all community and education leaders to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed in school and life, especially those in the most vulnerable situations.


Citations:

(1) Pennsylvania Department of Education https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education.html
(2) 2024 ALICE Report County Snapshots – Pennsylvania (uwp.org)