Regarding homelessness in youth, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, domestic violence or other hardship. Stillwater Public Schools identified 91 students as homeless in the 2023-2024 school year , 130 students in the 2022-2023 school year and 208 students in the 2021-2022 school year. However, several disclaimers must be given before drawing conclusions or trends from these numbers: In previous years, the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless children and youth included individuals ‘awaiting foster care placement’ and that category is no longer included, leading to changes in homelessness estimates year over year. Difficulty and confidence in identifying homeless children due to lack of reporting and awareness by school officials of students’ home circumstances. School districts are working hard to identify youth in the school system experiencing homelessness, but it is an ongoing effort and challenge. Stillwater Public Schools believes the numbers they provided underestimate the true number of students experiencing homelessness.
Youth Homelessness According to the National Center for Homeless Education, 21,145 children and youth in the state were homeless and enrolled in public school during the 2021-2022 school year. Figure 10 outlines the primary nighttime residence for those students.
HOMELESS
Primary Nighttime Residence
IN OKLAHOMA
Another Family
Hotel/Motel
Shelter/Transitional Housing
Unsheltered
Shelter/Transitional Housing 6.3%
Source: National Center for Homeless Education
Hotel/Motel 5%
United Way Partners
Another Family 82.4%
10
Fig. 10, Source: National Center for Homeless Education
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