The New Homeless: Our Youth
Although overall homeless rates have reportedly fallen over the past decade, the number of homeless children has grown at an alarming pace. According to recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Homeless Education, the number of homeless youth enrolled in K-to-12 public schools has increased by 72 percent since 2007, and has risen 10 percent between 2010 and 2011 alone. Furthermore, the most recent Department of Education numbers reveal that a record number of children – 1.2 million – enrolled in public schools were homeless between 2011 and 2012. The largest concentration of homeless youth