Learning about the Issue

Before we began to answer these questions through our own action research, Ms. Anderson and our teacher helped us understand why homelessness is such an important issue for our community in this moment. We began by briefly reviewing our broad context—California. We learned that the number of K-12 students who are officially identified as homeless in California has jumped by 48% in the last ten years, with more than 244,000 identified in 2019-2020 (2). This showed us that the situation is getting worse, so our work is extremely important in this moment. 

To better understand the experiences, needs, and key issues facing youth who are unhoused in Oakland, we explored the particular history of our city. We learned that the legacy of racist ‘redlining’ practices that barred people of color from certain neighborhoods and community resources continues to be felt in Oakland, with homeownership out of reach for many of the city’s lower-income, people of color (3). Coupled with rising rents and displacement caused from ongoing gentrification, this has fueled housing insecurity amongst Oakland’s most vulnerable communities. This connected homelessness to themes of social and racial justice that we explore in our LSJ pathway and showed us that homelessness is not equally experienced by all of Oakland. 

The final aspect of homelessness that we learned about before beginning our project is its impact on academic outcomes. We learned that housing insecurity leads to higher absenteeism and suspension rates and is also a primary reason that students who are unhoused drop out of school (4). This showed us that not only does homelessness affect our greater community, it also affects one of the most important aspects of our peers’ lives—their school experiences and opportunities!

We learned that housing insecurity leads to higher absenteeism and suspension rates and is also a primary reason that students who are unhoused drop out of school.”

This connected homelessness to themes of social and racial justice that we explore in our LSJ pathway and showed us that homelessness is not equally experienced by all of Oakland. 

The final aspect of homelessness that we learned about before beginning our project is its impact on academic outcomes. We learned that housing insecurity leads to higher absenteeism and suspension rates and is also a primary reason students who are unhoused drop out of school (4). This showed us that not only does homelessness affect our greater community, it also affects one of the most important aspects of our peers’ lives- their school experiences and opportunities!

Our First Lessons Learned 

Armed with this new knowledge, we began our own research project aimed at answering Ms. Anderson’s questions. We conducted interviews with our high school peers and teachers and learned about innovations to house young people in Oakland. Over the course of this project, we discovered there is no single definition of homelessness, and it is a dynamic status (as opposed to static, long-term status as we sometimes think about it). We were surprised to realize that experiencing homelessness can impact any of us at any time because it encompasses everything from housing insecurity to being displaced to staying with relatives or in motels due to financial strain. (We also experienced the real-world challenges of working life, such as when we arrived at our meeting with the director of a tiny homes community only to learn they had double-booked our visit!) Finally, we learned that we are important members of our community who can make a difference through our voices and leadership. Learning how to conduct research mattered beyond earning a grade. It became more than a classroom activity; we all learned to apply our skills to connect to our community to make things better for our peers in greatest need. 

Finally, we learned that we are important members of our community who can make a difference through our voices and leadership.”

Our Data Collection and Findings

In Spring 2022, our team conducted interviews and surveys of almost 200 students at Oakland High School. Our data collection aimed at understanding the level of awareness of homelessness amongst our peers, how many of our peers are experiencing homelessness, and how the school and OUSD could best learn about the needs of our peers experiencing homelessness in order to support them. We included figures from our surveys and interviews along with a brief explanation of the results below. 

Our survey found that more than almost half of our peers, as shown in Figure 1, have directly experienced housing instability or know someone who has. 

FIGURE 1

As shown in Figure 2, our peers have experienced evictions, have lived with relatives, and have stayed in hotels/motels, cars and shelters.

FIGURE 2

We learned, as shown in Figure 3, that our peers appreciate anonymity, the provision of resource awareness and the opportunity to speak directly with a counselor or case manager.

FIGURE 3

We found that many students lack support for mental health (over 2/3) and other basic needs including financial support and resources. Importantly, as seen in Figure 4, we found that over 50% of students indicated that providing academic support was critical.

FIGURE 4

Our Conclusions and Recommendations

After we collected our data, we reviewed previous research in order to understand if our findings aligned with results from other studies and to guide our recommendations. We reviewed a range of news articles as well as journal articles from university researchers, and government agencies, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). We found much alignment between our findings and previous research, so we identified and articulated three central challenges facing students who are unhoused in the nation, the state, and in our community: 1) unmet basic needs, 2) lack of financial literacy and independence, and 3) lack of mental health resources. 

With the central challenges identified, we generated proposals for policy changes in our district. We wrote our proposals, shared them with our client, Ms. Anderson, and revised based on her feedback. Our teacher also invited local community members who work in policy to listen to us practice our presentations, and we also incorporated their feedback. Through this process, we refined our proposals to best address the challenges we identified and to communicate them effectively to local policymakers. 

Our final six recommendations address two of the three central challenges: unmet basic needs, and lack of financial literacy and independence. These recommendations, along with facts that we learned about homelessness in the United States and in Oakland, are outlined below. 

Challenge #1: Unmet basic and educational needs

Food and housing instability can lead to harsh living and learning conditions. Lack of personal space, hygiene, and support services can also lead to absenteeism and difficulty forming connections with teachers and peers (5). Approximately 37.2% of OUSD students who are unhoused drop out of high school (with only 13.4% A-G ready) (6). To address the unmet basic and educational needs of OUSD students who are unhoused, we proposed four specific policy changes. These recommendations address the basic need of transportation and providing career and educational support. 

Proposal 1: Transportation Networks

• Key Elements: The proposed program offers youth who are unhoused assistance for arriving at school. The consistent and accessible transportation will help students feel a sense of stability and prevent absenteeism. 
• Implementation: Each OUSD school would distribute various resources and options to students. For instance: free Clipper Cards with BART Access, rideshare credits, OUSD van share, and student driver education training.

Proposal 2: Career Hubs

• Key Elements: Hubs will offer campus-based support as well as financial support and job guidance. Additionally, on-site career coaches can help with interview practice, creating resumes, cover letters, and other career skills. 
• Implementation: Earning internships and career opportunities with community and municipal partnerships. Have college student volunteers visit to talk about their experiences.

Proposal 3: McKinney-Vento Academic & College Branch

• Key Elements: Create a “McKinney-Vento Academic & College Branch” with case managers focused solely on academic support and development, especially college readiness.
• Implementation: Targeted after-school programming to provide a safe space for all students and help youth who are unhoused earn their high-school diplomas with: tutors and study sessions with teachers as well as peer-to-peer support for youth struggling to keep up with their assignments due to housing instability. Provide access to college and career preparation, i.e., college/job application guidance and interview practice.

Proposal 4: Department Building & Resource Center

• Key Elements: This resource center will hold the McKinney-Vento office as well as other forms of educational support. The center would offer help regarding education such as tutoring and homework help. 
• Implementation: Inspired by UC Berkeley’s Basic Needs Center, The Hub in San Jose, and Larkin Street in San Francisco, OUSD has many vacant buildings that could be repurposed for this department building and resource center. And in order to fund and staff it, we can partner with local nonprofits and garner donations.

Challenge #2: Lack of financial literacy and independence

Many families have low-wage employment, often minimum wage (7). High costs of living and rent make it difficult for families to save money, and many families are unaware of how to prioritize expenses and budgeting (8). To support the financial literacy and independence of OUSD students who are unhoused, we proposed that OUSD implement financial literacy classes and financial internships.

Proposal 1: Financial Literacy Classes

• Key Elements: These financial elective classes will provide a foundation for personal finances (taxes, stock investment, purchasing land). The classes will educate students to responsibly manage their funds (spending and saving).
• Implementation: Financial literacy classes already exist in the Oakland school district. This curriculum could be adapted to meet the needs of youth who are unhoused, making implementation feasible for schools. 

Proposal 2: Financial Internships

• Key Elements: Students would learn about financial literacy to prepare them for financial independence in their current situation or for the future through networking, guest panels, and workshops. Students who complete the program would receive a stipend to support their financial needs. 
• Implementation: Through community partnerships, the students would be able to network with bankers, financial advisors, and accountants. These professionals can then hold workshops in the classrooms or give tours of their offices. 

Challenge #3: Lack of mental health resources

Students who are unhoused have a higher probability of developing mental health disorders stemming from financial and housing instability. Forty-six percent of students who are unhoused suffer from chronic health problems; 45% have psychiatric or emotional conditions, including depression, addictions, and anxiety; and 36% have PTSD.  Our recommendations did not specifically address the mental health challenges of youth who are unhoused. However, we believe that in addressing the basic and educational needs, and providing programming aimed at building financial independence, we are addressing many of the causes for mental health concerns.   

Sharing our Project and Advocating for Change

At the end of the Y-PLAN project, student teams summarized these proposals on professional planning posters and presented them to our “client,” MKV liaison, Ms. Anderson, in a public session at Oakland High. We then chose representatives to present our recommendations outside OHS and distributed two-page policy briefs that we created for Mayor Libby Schaaf and other local leaders at Oakland City Hall. Ms. Anderson indicated that our research identified many of the same issues recognized by research institutions, “Students noted many of the same structural challenges to the district’s full implementation of McKinney-Vento that were identified in research studies and policy briefs.”

This project allowed us to go beyond our textbooks to understand an issue plaguing our community. 

We were trusted as youth leaders with opportunities to affect real change—and we did.”

One month after our presentations, the district hired three new case managers and immediately scaled up resources for students who are unhoused. 

Many organizations and community leaders at local, regional, and statewide levels have been eager to learn more about our ideas in the months since. One OUSD School Board member indicated that “We are so incredibly grateful for your work and insights. I am almost embarrassed to hear some of the data you shared. These kids, all our students, deserve more. It is critically important that we respond quickly to many of your recommendations.” Our research has also ignited many school-level discussions about how to better support students through an academic and basic needs hub, as well as a roundtable at UC Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools with the California Department of Education’s Homeless Education Department. 

We were even invited to speak at the National Grantmakers for Education (GFE) conference in Austin, Texas by the Stuart Foundation. We shared our work with educational leaders working to address student homelessness around the country. Right up until we stepped on stage, we wondered if anyone would even come to our presentation, knowing that the featured speakers on this complex policy issue were still in high school. That cloud of doubt was swept away as we saw the room steadily fill up with adults excited to learn more about our work. We did just as we practiced – taking our time and referring to the visuals on the screen – and by the end, we couldn’t have been more proud of all that we accomplished for ourselves and for our peers.

Recently, the CDE funded Homeless Education Technical Assistance Center (HETAC) invited us to present to a statewide webinar focusing on Youth Engagement: Peer-to-Peer Solutions for McKinney-Vento Policies and Practices. We shared our work, the Y-PLAN Toolkit resources and engaged in a meaningful question and answer dialogue with many McKinney-Vento liaisons and educators across the state. It was amazing that everyone again took us so seriously and valued our work, opinion and recommendations.   

Our Concluding Thoughts

All students deserve the opportunity to gain real-world skills and apply them to serve their peers and community. California’s historic $4.1 billion investment in community schools can provide a lever to make this happen. Community schools—neighborhood schools that aim to build trust by bringing people together, and create democratic and empowering environments through shared leadership and by elevating the perspectives of all community members including students—can ensure student learning is grounded in civic engagement and addresses real-world issues in students’ communities.

Y-PLAN introduced us to public policy at our district level, but we are taking our newfound passion for advocacy statewide. Today, we call upon the California Department of Education to ensure its $4.1 billion investment in community schools supports engaging instruction that is youth-led and rooted in both the assets and needs of students, families, educators and local community members. Learning about and addressing the issues that impact community—like homelessness—should be at the heart of community schools.

Learning about and addressing the issues that impact community—like homelessness—should be at the heart of community schools.”

We have a rare opportunity, given these investments, to mobilize youth like us as powerful agents of change and strengthen crucial support services for students who are at the same time. Housing insecurity and homelessness is a complex issue to which there is no easy or universal answer. But who better to lead the innovation and change necessary than us, young leaders with the most at stake?