How many homeless S.F. schoolkids? Enough to fill 70 classrooms

[yuiyoshida]

One out of every 25 San Francisco schoolkids is homeless.

In other words, if you put all those 2,100 students together, they would fill 70 to 80 classrooms and outnumber the student body at Washington High School.

Overall, of the 54,000 students in the system, one in 25 — or 4 percent — is homeless.

That said, the number of students without stable housing is a bit lower than last year’s October count of 2,350, but well above the pre-recession 844 in 2005.

Although the number of homeless students has fluctuated by a few hundred up or down, it hasn’t fallen below 2,000 in the past five years. It’s become a chronic problem, with nearly every school serving at least one homeless child and some schools serving far more.

http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/How-many-homeless-S-F-schoolkids-Enough-to-fill-5846235.php

[mackerel]

1. This is astounding! I know in Stockton they have a school for

homeless kids. 2 classrooms K-4 and 5-8 and they have about 120 kids there on a regular basis. It's run
through St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Hall.

[daredtowork]

2. Good Grief

That initial disadvantage will only compile exponentially over time. And the rewards the advantaged kids initially receive will also multiply exponentially. By the time we even start to talk about redistribution it's always too late. Political processes can't keep up with the injustices wrought.

[Cleita]

3. I read a stat here about a year ago that there were enough

homeless children in my county, San Luis Obispo, to fill a school. At that time I got into a debate with a former teacher about homelessness and she was all about them being shiftless, lazy substance abusers. When I repeated the stat to her she didn't believe me and I told her I read it in the local paper which trends right wing in its bias.

If we multiplied this throughout California, just how many classrooms and schools would they fill? I think all debates about homelessness need this interjected in them. It has to impress all but the most sociopathic and jaded person with no compassion.