Since moving to Cincinnati, my job as a graduate assistant has exposed me to many
things about this city that never crossed my mind prior to living here. My work has made the transition easier in many regards, and I feel a connection to this city now that makes me more excited for my future career in social work. One agency that we work closely with is UpSpring (www.upspring.org), which primarily serves the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness in several different manners. Before working with this organization, the topic of homeless children was relatively foreign to me, and I was quite surprised to learn that the average person experiencing homelessness in the United States is 9-years old (UpSpring, 2015). Like many people, children are not usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about homelessness, though many of the children I have worked with in my internship and previous employments have experienced some degree of transience in their lives. Further, this population has a unique set of challenges related to their age. They do not typically have a voice in the services in their situations, so it is imperative that people learn more about this population so as to effectively advocate for their best interests.
The first article that tackles the subject of childhood homelessness provides a comprehensive review of the existing literature regarding the subject. Buckner (2008) found consistency across the data for many outcomes regarding this experience, including health risks, mental health risks, and academic delays. Many factors influence the degree to which children experience these risks, and there is even doubt about whether differences exist between those facing homelessness and their low-income housed peers, as both experience disadvantages. This makes sense when examining the context of which the negative outcomes exist, as researchers agree that there are “chronic strains” that exist in both cases (Buckner, 2008). These include: hunger, lack of shelter from the elements, stress regarding family safety, witnessing violence, and among other factors (Buckner, 2008).
The second article that addresses children experiencing homelessness focuses more directly on school outcomes. Canfield et al. (2016) found that transience exacerbates school absences, which negatively impacts many other academic outcomes. These students are nine times more likely to be truant, which can place their parents at a risk for legal action, and only 25% of this population graduate from high school (Canfield et al., 2016). Negative outcomes are likely impacted by unplanned mobility between schools, as families experiencing homelessness sometimes move between residences quickly and without much warning. Academic achievement suffers within this population, as studies have shown these students to behind their housed peers particularly in reading, spelling, and math (Canfield et al., 2016).
Both studies have found little consistency in the literature pertaining to homeless children. Though most agree that homelessness is related to poor outcomes, it is difficult to discern from the research whether homelessness has a bigger effect than chronic poverty on school achievement and attendance (Buckner, 2008; Canfield et al., 2016). This could be because of similarities in living conditions, stress, and experiences, but researchers agree that there needs to be some degree of intervention to mitigate these outcomes (Buckner, 2008; Canfield et al., 2016). The McKinney-Vento Act (MVA) seeks to level the playing field between homeless children and housed children by eliminating or easing many of the requirements necessary for switching schools and allowing children to maintain their enrollment after leaving the district (Canfield et al., 2016). However, while the MVA reduces barriers to education, it does not address the conditions that many students face when they return to their current residence to complete homework. Because of the range of possibilities associated with homelessness, Canfield et al. (2016) suggests individualizing interventions to meet the needs of each child, which would require more social workers and resources than many schools have. Additionally, Buckner (2008) believes that more research needs to be conducted that focuses on the needs of the children in order to increase the effectiveness of these interventions.
Part of my interest in this population pertains to focus groups I recently conducted at a local homeless shelter. Many mothers who participated in these focus groups identified after school programs and summer camps as two great ways to help their children succeed in school (Anonymous, personal communication, February 17, 2017). However, they all cited lack of transportation and high fees associated with these programs as barriers for involvement. Due to their location on the west side of town, only one bus services their area, which prevents them from taking advantage of Boys and Girls Clubs and other popular after-school programs.
This problem also presents a challenge with homeless families getting their children to school, as this can often be a cumbersome event if they are still enrolled in a school in a different part of town. While the MVA seeks to eliminate these barriers, it still does not adequately address all the obstacles these families face to obtain education and does not provide resources for after-school involvement. This act also does not have the power to create a better public transportation system, and the resources that it does provide relies heavily on those in the school system being able to identify these children as being homeless. This can be an issue if children are quickly moving in and out of schools, as they move on average 7-8 times a year (UpSpring, 2015). Additionally, this relies on school personnel being adequately trained to recognize the signs of homelessness, which can go under the radar if children are ashamed to disclose this information.
School achievement also requires homework, which many of the mothers interviewed expressed fears about their abilities to help their children when needed. Additionally, Buckner (2008) discussed the difficulties of completing homework if students do not have a residence, or live in a shelter that is crowded or noisy. After school programs often give children the time and space to complete homework, and provide tutors to help with challenging tasks. In addition, these programs provide an unintentional benefit to the family by allowing the parents more time to work or job hunt before their children return home, which the parents cited would be helpful in their transition to permanent housing (Anonymous, personal communication, February 17, 2017). These children and families experience such a heightened amount of stress in their daily lives as they try to meet their basic needs, that school and homework often fall by the wayside (Buckner, 2008), so ideally by giving parents more opportunities to succeed, children will be able to focus more on school achievement.
While most parents who participated in this focus group mentioned their need for after-school and summer programming, none had heard of the resources already available to meet their needs. UpSpring provides free after school and summer programming created to fill educational gaps, and in addition they provide free transportation to these camps for families experiencing homelessness. However, as nearly half of Cincinnati’s youth lives in poverty, the need for these services is great (UpSpring, 2015), and many parents that could qualify for them are unaware they exist. Last year alone, UpSpring served 3,000 out of the area’s 7,000 homeless youth in the Greater Cincinnati area, which is an enormous feat. Their services include an after-school program and a seven-week summer camp that promotes skill retention and gives children the opportunity to experience events in which they are typically unable to participate. Additionally, they operate a resource collaborative, which provides items that children need to be successful in school, including bus passes, school supplies, hygiene items, and more (UpSpring, 2015).
The goal of UpSpring is evident in their mission statement found on their website, “To empower children experiencing homelessness by providing opportunities for education and enrichment.” This organization strives to give these children as normal of a school experience as possible in their current situation by using donations and partnerships with over 60 agencies in Cincinnati. One employee at the aforementioned homeless shelter described a time when she called UpSpring to ask for prom dresses for two of the children so they could partake in this high school rite of passage (Anonymous, personal communication, February 17, 2017). UpSpring’s strengths lie in their understanding of the needs of the population they serve – school supplies are integral to academic achievement, however experiencing prom provides them with positive memories and the opportunity for normalcy that they do not typically get while navigating their precarious situation. Social workers at any agency that serves this population would benefit from this partnership, as they work hard to fill even the most unconventional requests, and the staff provides a way to contact them with requests on their website. The benefits do not stop at the children, as their after-school and summer programming can benefit parents as well as children, by giving them more time to work or attend to their needs.
In summary, with such high rates of poverty and homelessness, it is hard to dispute the need for resources to serve children experiencing homelessness. There is still much to learn in this area, but agencies are attempting to meet this population’s needs with regards to the information available. Experiences during childhood can impact the rest of their lives, therefore once basic needs are met, it is important that educational concerns are addressed and that children are able to enjoy some degree of normalcy. UpSpring is the only agency in the city of Cincinnati that exclusively makes this its mission, and hopefully through their efforts to empower youth, they will close achievement gaps that persist within this population.