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Schools

Number of Homeless Students Doubles in Dearborn

Amid a still challenging economy, the number of students that are not returning to a permanent, stable residence after they leave school has skyrocketed to never-before-seen levels.

From her office at the Dearborn Public Schools Administrative Services Center on Audette Street, Jacqui Rivait can see rows of immaculate, well-kept homes.

But Rivait, the student services specialist and homeless student liaison for the school district, knows that despite a picture of prosperity, there’s been a lot of economic pain for Dearborn’s students, especially those who have been displaced from their homes.

“The economy has been the main cause of homelessness is the district; whole families have been evicted or have had a foreclosure,” she said. “We have a high number of parents that are losing their jobs, and then their homes. It’s been devastating to families, and we’re very concerned.”

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Rivait has good reason to be concerned. In the past 18 months, the number of students attending classes at the schools that are considered by federal standards to be homeless has doubled, from about 18 students mid-2008 to 43 this year, according to estimates.

For the 18,500-student district, 43 students may not seem like may not seem like a huge number, at first glance. But keeping students affected by homelessness on track in their education amid a chaotic situation at home is a daunting challenge for teachers, social workers and educators, who are trying to identify ways to help the students–and their families–break an insidious cycle.

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Michigan Most Affected

When it comes to rising levels of homelessness, the trend for Dearborn schools is sadly familiar.

According to data from the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency, every school district in Wayne County has some students that fall into the legal definition of homelessness. Collectively, there were 831 homeless students in Wayne County for the 2008-09 school year excluding Detroit. In the 2009-10 school year, that number jumped to 969. Data for this year has not been compiled, said Kathy Gibson, the Safe and Healthy Schools consultant for Wayne RESA.

It’s not a surprising number, given the harsh economic conditions in Michigan, which is still struggling with unemployment levels above 10 percent. From 2000 to 2009, Wayne County’s median income plummeted by 27.2 percent, and in Dearborn, 62 percent of students are now eligible for a free or reduced lunch, according to a report released by Starfish Family Services, a social services agency in Inkster, Mich.

A 2008 study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that Michigan had the highest number of homeless residents in the Midwest, and the fifth highest number in the United States.

And according to the Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness, there are 86,189 homeless residents in Michigan, of which half are under 18 years old. In Wayne County, Oakland County and Macomb County area, there are 34,642 homeless individuals, 5,536 of which are children, according to the campaign.

The average homeless child is 7.6 years old.

The child poverty rate has nearly doubled in Michigan, from 14 percent in 2000 to 23 percent in 2009, and there’s been a 26 percent spike in the number of children eligible to receive a free or reduced lunch from 2006 to 2009, according to the Kids Count report, which is commissioned annually by the Annie Casey Foundation.

For Dearborn, Assistant Superintendent Ron Gutkowski said, keeping homeless students on track is difficult.

“(The students) have a hard time keeping up in their classes because they’ve been destabilized,” he said. “Sometimes they’re living in a shelter, sometimes with a family where there are a lot of people in a small place. It’s very challenging.”

A Plan of Work

Dearborn Schools is trying to get ahead of the homelessness problem by marshaling its staff of liaisons, teachers, social workers and other educators to help families while creating an environment which is safe for students, Rivait said.

“You want to help students in a way that doesn’t make it more difficult for them,” she said. “They often don’t want anyone to know their situation.”

The district provides confidential assistance through its social workers, who work to locate resources and referrals through various agencies for basic needs, such as health care, food and toiletries. Additionally, because they often face moving from school to school after they have lost their home, the district pays for transportation for the student, Rivait said.

Still, it’s a tough road for young people. And though hard times have been long and persistent for Michigan residents, School Board Trustee Mary Lane said at a recent meeting that she never thought the number of homeless students in Dearborn would reach this level.

“I’m really aggrieved to see that we’re dealing with more homeless students,” she said. “It’s a really sad comment on society that this has happened to so many students.”

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