MPUSD Recognizes Homeless Youth Awareness Month

MPUSD Recognizes Homeless Youth Awareness Month

Nearly a quarter of MPUSD students are experiencing homelessness

November marks National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and an opportunity to educate the community about youth experiencing homelessness particularly in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

In Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, the percentage of students facing homelessness in the 2023-2024 school year was 22.4% of students (approximately 2,220) who experienced homelessness. Of the 2,220 students:

1.3% are unsheltered
3.3% are in shelters
6.6% live in a hotel/motel
88.8% are doubled or tripled up in a home

MPUSD has been recognized across the nation for its commitment and work to serve its students and families experiencing housing insecurity. The district offers a variety of supports, including resource centers at every school site, liaisons providing direct support to students at all of our schools, a centralized Family Resource Center that provides access to basic needs like food and clothing, short-term hotel stays through a unique partnership with Motel 6, a safe parking program for overnight stays, a rental assistance program, and collaboration with the county in addressing system wide needs.

Its program, in partnership with the National Center for Youth Law and the Monterey County Office of Education, is hailed as a model to assist schools and school districts in capturing accurate data and helping in the alignment of services to serve students and their families best. Learn more about the statewide recognition at www.mpusdbests.org.

If you and your family or you know of an MPUSD student and family experiencing homelessness, visit MPUSD’s website or contact the district’s Family Resource Center at 831.392.3928.

Homelessness Defined

The definition of homelessness is not what many might think. In fact, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act identifies youth and children experiencing homelessness as:

Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence
Individuals who share the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
Individuals living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations
Individuals living in emergency or transitional shelters

The Act further defines youth and children experiencing homelessness as:

Those who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
Children and youth who are living in garages, sheds, cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings

Even more alarming, the population of youth experiencing homelessness also includes unaccompanied youth who have left home for one or more nights without permission; youth who have been asked to leave their homes, are abandoned, deserted, or prevented from returning home; and youth who have either aged out of foster care or have been released from juvenile justice or other public systems with nowhere to go.

MPUSD in the News

Published October 28, 2024 Print