On July 31, 2024, Regional Emergency Management Specialist Lieutenant Arthur Sharoyan, PharmD, attended the Philadelphia public hearing on child and youth homelessness at the Alan Horwitz "Sixth Man" Center. The hearing focused on the efforts of city and school district officials to address the increase in homelessness among children and youth. Attendees included officials from the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, representatives from various nonprofit organizations supporting homeless children and youth, a professor from Seattle University, and many young adults who shared their personal experiences with homelessness.
The Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program has served over 10,000 students during the 2022-23 school year, an increase of 19% from the previous year. This means that approximately 6% of Philadelphia public school students lack stable housing. During the hearing, lawmakers learned that data on youth and young adult homelessness is measured in different ways and can be difficult to track. There are also differences in the definitions of homelessness. For example, the McKinney-Vento Act considers students who are “couch surfing” or doubling up with family members or friends as homeless, whereas the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development does not.
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal law referenced during the hearing, guarantees a free and appropriate public education for all homeless children and youth by removing barriers to learning. Each school is required to appoint a liaison to identify and support homeless students. Often, these liaisons are school counselors who have many other responsibilities, which can limit the time they can dedicate to homeless students. Additionally, there are 20 designated community schools with coordinators who provide services to families. Despite these challenges, the commitment shown by the community and its leaders offers hope that together, they can find innovative solutions to better support and uplift homeless children and youth in Philadelphia.