Identifying Students at Risk of Homelessness: Evidence from Boston

Background and purpose: During the 2021-2022 academic year, an estimated 1.2 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools nationwide experienced homelessness (National Center for Homeless Education, 2023). Homelessness is a traumatic experience for children and families that interferes with educational experiences.

Schools are an opportune setting to identify students in families at risk of homelessness, yet prior research has not examined strategies and barriers to identifying students at risk of homelessness. To address this gap, we use survey data collected from homeless liaisons in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to describe the strategies homeless liaisons use to identify students and the extent to which they experience challenges. We compare these strategies and challenges in identifying students at risk of homelessness with those they report in identifying students currently experiencing homelessness.

Methods: In 2019, BPS began partnering with FamilyAid, a large social services organization located in the Boston area, to offer additional resources to BPS families experiencing housing instability and homelessness. As part of a broader evaluation of BPS-FamilyAid programming, we invited all 186 BPS staff designated as homeless liaisons to respond to a 10-minute self-administered survey. The purpose of the survey was to understand homeless liaisons’ work experiences and gain insight into the functioning of BPS-FamilyAid programming. The survey instrument included a total of 33 items. The present study focuses on both open- and close-ended questions that elicited information about the identification of both students currently experiencing and students at risk of homelessness.

Results: The study’s analytic sample is comprised of the 42 respondents who completed all of the questions related to identifying students. The top three strategies homeless liaisons reported using for identifying students experiencing housing instability included referrals from school personnel, assessment of students presenting with risk factors, and student self-identification. Overall, 81% respondents indicated problems identifying students experiencing homelessness and 83% indicated problems identifying students at-risk of homelessness. However, 38% of respondents indicated that identifying students at risk of homelessness was “a big problem” compared to only 21% saying the same for identifying currently homeless students. Finally, the overwhelming majority of respondents (76%) thought that the process of identifying students experiencing homelessness could be improved.

Conclusions and implications: Collectively, these findings point to challenges in implementing initiatives to prevent homelessness in school settings. Our findings suggest a need for additional research on identification of students experiencing homelessness and particularly those who are at-risk of homelessness. Drawing on lessons learned from the present study, we are launching new mixed methods research to collaboratively develop improved procedures and tools for identifying students experiencing housing instability.