2.6K San Mateo County Students At Risk For Homelessness: Study

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — More than 2,600 students in San Mateo County experienced housing instability during the three school years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a figure that accounted for 2 percent of students and was likely undercounted, according to research published last month by the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University.

The study — which looked at three years of administrative data across 22 school districts — was believed to be the first to analyze the scope of student homelessness and housing instability in San Mateo County, one of the wealthiest counties in the state.

Of the students experiencing housing instability, a disproportionate number identified as Latinx, Black or English language learners, the study said. They also had higher rates of chronic absenteeism and suspensions and graduated at a lower rate than students with stable housing.

"This report provides a really sober look at our own community and shows how we have an opportunity now to make a difference because we have this understanding,” said Amy Gernstein, executive director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities.

'Tremendous Stigma'

A vast majority of the 2,600 students were “precariously housed,” meaning they either lived with two more families in a single residence or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

Once researchers began contacting school districts, they realized that every district in the county was telling them that the numbers they were providing were likely undercounted, according to Gernstein. So they added a second part to the study examining how school districts were identifying students in danger of becoming homeless.

The pandemic likely exacerbated the issues for students already experiencing housing instability. But school districts couldn’t pinpoint exactly how much worse, she told Patch.

That frustrated her, she said. If the scope of the problem wasn’t defined, neither could the solution to provide help to those who need it.

“That’s the part that’s the most distressing, because what do you mean you don’t know?” Gernstein said. “We need to know.”

Gernstein didn't blame school districts for undercounting such students: It is difficult to identify families who are experiencing housing instability, she said.

“That’s the whole idea is: If we identify them, then we can help with more services,” Gernstein said. “I think there’s also tremendous stigma. People don’t want to bring this up.”

Nancy Magee, the San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, acknowledged Gernstein's study in a community meeting last month. She said that school districts underreport the number of students who are housing unstable because the definitions are confusing and misunderstood, and schools are understaffed.

"We believe those numbers are way undercounted because we have a serious issue with underidentification of students," Magee said.

Magee added that pursuing the definition and understanding of individual circumstances of each family takes "a lot of resources and a lot of time."

"So therefore, students do go unidentified," Magee said. "So this is one real problem we have to solve for."

San Mateo County was particularly challenging because of the large gap in inequality, according to Gernstein. Students who grow up in some of the less wealthy communities in the county, such as East Palo Alto and North Fair Oaks, live blocks away from billionaires and may go to school with peers experiencing an entirely different way of life.

“There’s no hiding that experience in a place like this, where literally across the street there are mansions, and your family is struggling,” Gernstein said. “I see how that plays out with young people, when they have to be in school with people who are having such different circumstances. It’s very hard.”

Common goals

County officials have taken steps to address housing insecurity, with a goal of reaching “functional zero” homelessness by the end of this year, meaning that every county resident experiencing homelessness can be safely sheltered in an emergency shelter or in temporary or permanent housing.

Related: San Mateo County Aims For 'Functional Zero' Homelessness

Gernstein’s study came up in a recent community meeting about homelessness, the first in a series called “2022: Our Year of Working Together to End Homelessness.” Officials at the meeting echoed Gernstein’s suggestion that various stakeholders — including the county, school districts, nonprofits and social services — must work together across sectors to collaborate on solving the crisis.

“No one organization or government entity can accomplish or address all the work that needs to be done alone,” said Don Horsley, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “To address the multiple causes and variety of solutions that are needed to help our homeless residents successfully find a permanent home, we all have to work together.”

More than $1.9 billion in local and federal funds have been committed to building nearly 3,700 affordable housing units in the county, according to Horsley.

In addition to purchasing five hotels over the past year to turn into housing for the homeless, the county recently broke ground on a 240-unit Navigation Center in Redwood City. The center aims to provide both temporary housing and intensive services for individuals and couples and will focus more on case management, with the goal of moving each client into permanent housing.

“A lot of people, quite frankly, say it can’t be done, that we can’t reach functional zero,” county Executive Officer Mike Callagy said. “I say to them, ‘If we can’t do it in San Mateo County, yes, then it can’t be done.’ Because we have the will here. We have the partnerships here that no one else has, the collaborative spirit that no one else has, and we will, I firmly believe, get it done.”

Callagy added: “This is the issue of our lifetime. It is imperative that we not leave this to the next generation to handle.”

County and school district officials have been in touch with Gernstein about her research, and she said they’ve been open to engaging with her team’s recommendations.

Magee, the superintendent, talked at the meeting about how important it is to "work across systems" to serve children.

"Part of that is making sure that we’re courageous enough to use the information sharing systems that we have available under the law to better serve children and families across systems," Magee said, referencing Gernstein's study. "Sometimes, we’re reluctant to do that, but really we want to keep our eye on serving all children and families to the best of our ability."

Gernstein is aware of the importance of “actionable research” — that is, making sure research is rigorous yet accessible so that policymakers can take appropriate action. She said the county, in the midst of a highly publicized drive to end homelessness, is in a good position to use the research.

“We’re very much aware that for policy to change, the policy window has to be open,” Gernstein said. “There’s times in life when it hits, and we’re very hopeful that the window’s open right now.”

Click here to read the full study and here for a summary.

2.6K San Mateo County Students At Risk For Homelessness: Study originally appeared on the San Mateo Patch