The Impact of Homelessness on Academic Achievement for Youth
Education for any individual may be a source of stress or anxiety, however for youth experiencing homelessness it is yet another stressor added onto the list of challenges and barriers that they may be facing. When individuals need to be concerned about where they are sleeping that night, school and their education can be put on the backburner to make room for more pressing concerns. However, this shift in focus away from school can be detrimental to the education and academic achievement of youth in many ways.
1. Disrupted continuity of education
The instability of housing that many homeless youth encounter makes attendance difficult to maintain. Whether they are moving frequently from house to house, couchsurfing, switching shelters often or using their car as a living space, the constant movement and relocation can set them kilometers apart from their school and make it impossible to attend. Poor attendance in any student would make it difficult to keep up, perform well and make strong bonds and for homeless youth it just becomes harder. It puts them at a disadvantage from their other classmates and ultimately affects their academic achievement.
2. Academic underperformance
With missing school comes missing content, assignments, tests and important information that teachers have to offer. In young children experiencing homelessness missing school during important developmental periods, such as when kids learn to read and write, can affect their education and abilities for the entirety of their life. Those baseline skills and lessons are what the rest of education is built on and so having a weak foundation makes it even harder as the grades continue. Even when youth who experience homelessness perform well at a young age, it is seen that their academic achievement declines more rapidly as they get older compared to the academic achievement of their classmates.
3. Social exclusion
School is not just a place to learn, but is a social environment in which kids learn to make friends and connections as well. Frequent absences in school and other barriers, such as not being able to have friends over can make it hard to reap the benefits the social environment of school has to offer. In the long run this can lead to social exclusion in youth experiencing homelessness and exacerbate the feelings of loneliness, isolation and sadness that they may already be feeling. It also creates yet another barrier for these youth to form support systems and communities around themselves that may be able to help them end the cycle of homelessness.
4. Mental well-being
Being isolated, missing out on the social opportunities of school, the existing stigma of being homeless and a ton of other factors can also take a toll on the mental-well being of a homeless youth. It can be detrimental to their self-esteem and derail them from the education path more than before. It can also lead to mental health and physical health concerns in the future for these young individuals, posing more challenges and barriers to their success.
5. Lack of resources
Unfortunately, finding resources to support youth experiencing homelessness and reverse some of these negative experiences is not always easy. The complexity of youth homelessness makes it difficult to institute solutions that accommodate everyone and sadly there are just not enough services to help everyone. The problem is also rooted much deeper than just the schools and relates to the cost of living, the increase in cost of rent and a plethora of other social factors that make acquiring stable living conditions a hard feat. As mentioned previously, there are also complexities and differences that come with each youth that experiences homelessness and each have their own unique experience that they bring with them.
Education and school in general can be a great opportunity for many individuals to learn, grow and make connections, however for youth experiencing homelessness the benefits that school and education have to offer are not as easily accessible and many barriers stand in their way. Disrupted continuity of education, academic underperformance, social exclusion and the effect on mental-well being are just a few of the impacts youth homelessness has on education and the lack of resources makes it difficult to overcome these negative impacts.
Nevertheless, the hope is that in the future, resources and services emerge to support youth experiencing homelessness and prioritize keeping them in school. One example is the Stay in School program in the GTA that provides youth experiencing homelessness a bed to support them during their time of transition and to keep them in school. This program has increased the graduate rate for youth experiencing homelessness by providing the individuals with stability and a place to call home. The hope for the future is that many more services like such emerge for youth experiencing homelessness and that these youth are able to reap the same benefits from schooling and education that their classmates do.
Written by Olivia McCormick, Service Officer
Learn more:
https://www.homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/16LILJEDAHLweb.pdf
https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgiarticle=1151&context=counseloreducationcapstones
