Addressing the issue of homelessness is one of the most pressing priorities in our region. As school board members, we believe that any conversation about homelessness must center on homeless students.
While much of the focus has been on adults, very little conversation has focused on homeless students, from pre-kindergarten to high school students, whose numbers may be more than twice that of the general homeless population.
According to self-reported data collected by the schools in 2022, there were over 20,389 homeless students in the county of San Diego. According to the Regional Taskforce on Homelessness, which conducted an annual Point-In-Time Count at the beginning of 2023, there were 10,264 people in the general homeless population in the county.
Although the two data sets are collected differently, the stark difference between them elevates the concern about the impact of homelessness on students. Given the size of the homeless student population, any policy analysis must begin with them.
In a recent analysis of historical trends, the Voice of San Diego pointed out that the number of homeless people in the county has not changed much over the last ten years. A look at the countywide school data over the years shows the same. Year over year, homeless students are twice as many as the general homeless population.
The unwavering numbers of homeless people overall is an unfortunate reminder that we have not made meaningful progress on this issue. That must change, beginning in the city of San Diego, where most of the homeless students live.
According to school data, there were more than 11,000 homeless students in the city of San Diego at the end of the school year in 2022. That number includes 8,473 homeless students in the San Diego Unified School District, but it also includes students from ten other districts in schools that overlap with the city.
These ten districts include Chula Vista Elementary, Dehesa Elementary, Mountain Empire Unified, Poway Unified, San Diego County Office of Education, San Dieguito Union High, San Pasqual Union Elementary, San Ysidro Elementary, South Bay Union, and Sweetwater Union High school districts.
Any new policy must take into account its impact on the more than 11,000 homeless students in the city. This includes the proposed encampment ban that would take effect throughout the City of San Diego and impact students and their families who are struggling and have no place to go.
Schools are often a place of refuge for homeless students, and our schools are doing their best to meet basic needs like food, clothing, and other support. Unfortunately, the number one support that students need is stable housing, which is in short supply countywide.
Reducing homelessness is not insurmountable, but it will take a deep understanding of the issue and a comprehensive approach that centers the largest segment of the homeless population — students. When we center on students, we center on families, and our imperative is clear.
We must act boldly to protect the well-being of our community’s most vulnerable. We must do so with compassion, play the short and long game, and commit to change.
The authors recognize that this will not be easy, and it will take the dedication of political leaders at all levels of government. As elected school board members, we offer our partnership to make meaningful changes that center on homeless students.
This includes expanding support for students, developing permanent affordable housing in our communities, and coordinating resources and connecting families to services through initiatives like community schools. Only together can we turn things around.
Antonio Martinez is a San Ysidro School District board member. Cody Petterson is a San Diego Unified School District board member. Darshana Patel is president of the San Diego County School Boards Association and a Poway Unified School District board member. Cody Petterson is a San Diego Unified School District Board Member. Gregg Robinson is a San Diego County Office of Education board member. Jose Lopez is a South Bay Union School District board member. Kate Bishop is a Chula Vista Elementary School District board member. Lucy Ugarte is a Chula Vista Elementary School District board member. Richard Barrera is a San Diego Unified School District board member.
