Within Massachusetts alone, 23,000 students are experiencing homelessness. And, with the expiration of COVID-era protections like an eviction moratorium and rental assistance, many experts predict that number will increase.
Child and family homelessness is associated with a host of negative outcomes including poor physical and mental health, lower academic performance, higher rates of absenteeism and grade retention, and hindered social and emotional development.
Research shows that school-based efforts to support students experiencing homelessness make a difference. But schools cannot be expected to do this work alone. District administrators and educators can carry out this work more effectively by working closely with community-based organizations with expertise in issues of homelessness and housing stability.
This blueprint, intended to guide schools and districts in developing school-community partnerships to support homeless youth and their families, combines research-based best practices with lessons learned from homelessness programs nationwide. It details the process schools can undertake to design and implement a program, providing tools and templates to support this process along the way.
EMPOWERING HOMELESS LIASONS: A DAILY PRACTICE RESOURCE GUIDE
We also created a comprehensive resource guide meant to enhance and support the work of school homeless liaisons. It includes information about signs of trauma in students, ways to heal from trauma, compassion fatigue, partnerships between school personnel and liaisons, obstacles specific to immigrant families and those who are undocumented, and strategies to improve family outreach. While we created this guide specifically for the liaisons in Boston Public Schools, homeless liaisons across the state can benefit from it.