A recent survey found 3,419 homeless children in county schools, a 33 percent increase from 2001.
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
Published January 3, 2004
The number of reported homeless children in Pasco County schools grew by almost 900 over the past two years, continuing what activists say is a steady increase of students in danger of falling behind or dropping out.
The results of a survey conducted by the Pasco County School District in November and released Friday by homeless activists put the number of homeless children at 3,419.
That's a 33 percent increase over the number of homeless children counted in 2001 - or 2,568.
As in previous years, the bulk of the school district's homeless children - or 70 percent - were "temporarily residing with another family (friend or relative) because (they) cannot afford or find affordable housing," the report said.
The unstable home life makes it very hard for younger children to concentrate on school and sometimes forces older children out of classes and into the work force, said Kim Hoffman, office manager for the Homeless Coalition.
"The older children would feel more compelled to be pushed to get a job," she said.
The numbers were released Friday by Hoffman, who said that the increase could be related both to a growing number of homeless families as well as better survey methods that include more teachers and guidance counselors trusted by students.
The survey was conducted by the school district in coordination with St. Leo University.
In November, St. Leo University students joined those from Pasco-Hernando Community College and escorts by the Pasco Sheriff's Office and local police departments to count the number of homeless people in shelters and living in the woods.
Those numbers have not been released.
But activists say children make up the vast majority of the county's homeless population. The 2001 survey found that 2,568 of the county's 2,856 homeless people were children in Pasco schools.
That was up from 1,384 homeless children in 1999.
Joanne Huber runs the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program at Pasco schools. She was not available for comment Friday.
But in an interview last year, Huber said the problem often comes down to a parent's loss of work or inability to find a job.
"The majority of (homeless) children are elementary children whose parents are evicted because they can't afford to stay where they are safe," she said. "The biggest population of homeless children and families are in a doubled-up situation."
The instability wreaks havoc with a child's education, which is where her program enters the picture with tutors.
"They switched schools four to eight times a year," she said describing past situations for homeless students. "By the end of the year, have they learned anything? Not much. Also, there's the emotional impact. They don't trust people anymore. They will hide and hoard food. They develop all kinds of difficulties with learning. One of the big things we see is speech and language skills are lacking in these children."
In the moving around, children may lose books or important school forms. The chances of their parents getting them to the library or are on the Internet are nil, she said.
"If they are moving from place to place, the parent is just trying to keep a roof over their head," she said.
