Public schools in Seattle are seeing an alarming increase in the number of homeless students.
As of October, the district reported 2,235 students who have been homeless since the start of the school year, an increase of almost 20% from last year’s 30% increase, KUOW/NPR reported.
According to a recent HUD report, homelessness has reached record levels nationwide. In Washington state, more than 41,000 students experienced homelessness in the 2023-24 school year, an increase of almost 15%.
Jenny Allen, a McKinney-Vento support worker who works in Seattle, said rising costs and limited affordable housing are burdening families, while the district has seen an increase in the number of immigrants and refugees, especially from South America.
The KUOW/NPR report said that at Dunlap Elementary, Rogers Greene, an eight-year-old veteran who supports unhoused students, is now assisting an increasing number of families fleeing conflict in countries like Ukraine and Afghanistan.
“I can’t imagine. You just fall off somewhere and then you figure it out – figure out the language, figure out how you live, where you live, how you eat. It’s survival. So it’s important that we have those connections, relationships and work through the language barrier,” he said.
He continued: “They may not know these services, the resources they have access to, so part of my job is to educate. But what I want to get to with families is the point of empowerment – as they’ve accessed the resource, they’ve used it successfully, they know some organizations where they’ve been helped and they can share it with someone else or another family.”
Greene supports immigrant and refugee families who face language barriers and fears of seeking help, the report said.
At Dunlap Elementary, she offers essentials such as coats and backpacks, guides lunches and creates a safe space for students. Unhoused students face significant academic challenges, but Greene emphasizes their resilience, noting how many quickly adapt and develop.
