Rural Youth
Homelessness
Pennsylvania’s Education for Children &
Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Program (ECYEH)
Take a few minutes. . .
• Define the word “RURAL”
• What does it look like where you live?
What is rural?
• Communities less than 100,000 people
• Located 100 miles from a major urban area
• Large geographic areas with many scattered small
towns or communities
• Large areas which are dependent on one industry
such as agriculture, timber, mining, tourism, etc.
• An area that is described as “country”
What is Poverty?

The extent to which an individual or
community does without resources.
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Generational
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Having been in poverty for two generations or longer
Situational
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Lack of resources due to a particular event
Death, divorce, college student, etc.
Poverty
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Poverty is relative
 If everyone around you
is in a similar situation,
the notion of poverty or
wealth is vague.
 Poverty exists only in
relationship to known
quantities or
expectations.
Homeless. . .
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What do you think of?
Rural Homelessness: Do we have
homeless people HERE????
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Homelessness is assumed to be an urban
problem:
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More geographically concentrated
More visible
Media depictions
In the news
More available research
Better data
The Faces of Rural Homelessness:
Did you know?
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Research shows that the odds of being poor
are between 1.2 to 2.3 times higher for
people in rural settings when compared to
those in metropolitan areas.
One in 5 rural counties is classified as a
“high poverty county” in the United States
(defined as having a poverty rate of 20% or
higher), while only one in 20 metro counties
are defined as high poverty. (Fisher, 2005)
Who is most at risk?
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Primarily agricultural & farming communities
Economy based on declining industries
(mining, timber, fishing)
Resort areas attracting new, higher income
residents – driving up the taxes and living
expenses and eliminating affordable housing,
such as mobile home parks
Rural Homelessness:
the “Three W’s”
 White
 Working
Poor
 Women with Children (Bushy 1991)
Question for Discussion:

Where are most homeless families located in
rural areas?
Doubling up

Sharing housing of others due to loss of
housing, economic hardship, or similar
reason
Doubled Up: Is the
situation temporary?
• Has the family tried to
access other services to
find housing?
• Do they talk about wanting
“a place of their own”
• Do the children have their
own bedrooms?
• Can the family afford other
housing, but are choosing
not to move?
Not “camping”

Trailers, camping grounds, tents
Not “on vacation”

Living in motels, hotels
Not “adequate”

Barns, garages, sheds
Not “regular”

abandoned buildings
Not “fixed”

Cars
Migrant

Migratory children living in above
circumstances
Unaccompanied Youth

Abandoned, throw-away, runaway children
not living with a parent or legal guardian
Substandard Housing?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
No utilities (heat, water, etc.)
Tarp over roof
Boards on windows
Overcrowded
Dirt Floor
Holes to outside
Motel
Hotel
Camper
Tent
Car
The Effects of Substandard Housing
on Children:

One out of every 3 people living in severely substandard housing
is a child. These children are likely to experience:
 Violence
 Hunger
 Injuries
 Burns
 Infectious Diseases
 Asthma
 Lead Poisoning
 Foster Care Placement
 Falling Behind in School
 Dropping out of School

From Housing Arkansas “Benefits of a State Housing Trust Fund” - 2010
Rural Vs. Urban:
Rural:
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Living in cars, parks, campgrounds,
barns, tents, hunting cabins; run
down homes often without running
water or heat, windows are gone,
roof covered with tarps; often
doubled-up with other families
Stable populations (do not move as
frequently)
More families identified
Homeless is a “hidden” issue –
people are under a roof
Less likely to accept or seek our
services
Fewer resources available
Urban:
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More people living in shelters and
transitional housing. Doubled-up
families are rarely ID’d.
Transient populations (families will
move in and out of locations)
More single adults identified
Homelessness is a more “visible”
issue – people sometimes on the
streets
Open to & often seeking services
More resources and funding
available
Question for Discussion

Discuss potential challenges faced by those
experiencing homelessness in rural settings.
Challenges for Rural Communities:
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Sense of isolation
Fewer dollars when funding decisions are based on
population = Fewer available services
Less public awareness due to “invisibility” of homeless
Local attitudes: Denial and blame
Less existing research about what works in rural
areas
“Walkability” and Public Transportation
Parents: “Concerted Cultivation:
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Homework
Music lessons, dance lessons, etc.
Sports
Extracurricular activities
Parent involvement
Question for Discussion

Discuss potential strengths of those
experiencing homelessness in rural settings.
Strengths:
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Multi-service mainstream agencies: “one
stop shopping”
Involved and supportive church
communities
Extended family support
Resiliency
“Take Care of Our Own”
Rural Homelessness:
the causes:
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Pervasive poverty & multi-generational poverty
Norm of substandard housing
Fewer rental options (older housing stock, lack of
affordable housing & rental assistance)
Nonexistent or shrinking mental health and drug and
alcohol services
Local employment patterns (low-paid, part-time, and
temporary employment)
Transportation issues as barriers to employment and
services
Federal homeless definitions that have favored
homeless in larger metropolitan areas
Issues for Rural Schools:
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Individual Heroes – Limitations?
Ill-defined Practices – No real system in place
Awareness
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How did you find out about services?
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“My cousin told me”
“By the grace of God”
“I don’t even know”
“I just kept calling people”
“I don’t even remember”
Limited Resources – Everyone is competing
Question for Discussion

Describe the characteristics of the best
organization you have ever experienced.
Organizations
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Research shows that the U.S. is the most
“organization-centric” country in the world
Good organizations have the following:
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Clear mission
Foster relationships
Collaboration
Produce positive outcomes
Monitor progress
Adapt to change
Network Orientation
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Limit “Hero Model”
Connect within AND beyond school
Move from “service provision” (giving things)
to “brokering”
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Ex: Morris Small, Book: Unanticipated Gains
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Good Child Care Centers – what is expected, but also
got. . .
Connection to other individuals, other organizations,
leading to other resources that they contain
Building Natural Supports
Innovation
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Thinking “Outside of the Box”
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Look at when your district ID’s students
experiencing homelessness. Only start of school
year?
Ask families – “Where do you go for help?” What
names come up the most? Who are they?
Connect to wider school & district missions when
educating co-workers
Tell story broadly to diverse people
Use data strategically
Train regularly
Interest Convergence
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Leads to Change
Moral social justice? Or best interest of the
district?
Why is student homelessness in your district
worthy of attention?
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Administration
Teachers
Parents
Community
“Student homelessness hurts all
students” – Fantuzzo, et al
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What is your district’s systematic processes?
Policy RE: “Substandard Housing?”
Transportation Policy?
Data Sharing?
Collaborations in the community?
Who are your stakeholders?
Strategies for Identification:
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Providing education and training to key
support staff with districts:
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Building secretaries
Guidance Counselors
Principals
Nurses
Bus Drivers
Home & School Visitors
Behavioral Support Staff
Strategies, continued. . .
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Add content to registration AND withdrawal
forms that would “flag” potentially homeless
families.
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Check lists of potential living situations
Know addresses of shelter, churches, “safe”
houses, campgrounds, hotels/motels
Avoid the word “homeless”
Follow up with interview
Sample Questionnaire

“Section A: In what type of setting is the student living now?
 In an emergency or transitional shelter (formal or informal)
 Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of other
adequate accommodations
 In a motel, hotel, church, campsite, cabin, barn or car
 In a park, public campgrounds, public space, abandoned building
or similar setting
 In substandard housing (example: no heat, tarp over the roof, no
running water, windows boarded up)
 Other places not ordinarily used as regular housing for humans
 I am a young person living without parent or guardian
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Continue to Question 2 if you checked any box in Section A. . .”
Strategies, continued. . .
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Establish relationships with outside entities:
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Churches
Social Service Agencies
Foster Care Providers
Shelters
Fire Department
Police
Red Cross
Salvation Army
Hotel/Motel owners
Food Pantries
Campground owners
Strategies, continued. . .
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Focus training on teaching staff to assist with
identification of existing homeless students
If district has multi-district classrooms, educate
those staff as well
Provide in-service to Vo-Tech and Alternative
Education staff that serve your district
Display information related to educational rights
in key places and in basic language
Educate families and parents within district
Strategies, continued. . .
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Build on community spirit: Rural families often will take
in students and help provide for them; staff and other
students provide rides and other assistance.
Build on the small town mentality: “We take care of our
own.”
Case Study #1

John comes to school with the same unwashed clothing
on every day. When the teacher asks him about it, he
says that his home does not have running water. The
home-school visitor stops by and reports to you that the
family lives in a cabin with dirt floors and an outhouse.
There is a wood stove that heats the home, but the
current water pump system is broken. The home was
built by John’s grandfather and they have never lived
anywhere else.
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Is John homeless?
What would you do to provide assistance?
What are issues you need to think about when
talking with this family?
Case Study #2

Cheyenne and her boyfriend are living in a
mobile home with his parents. She is 18 and
says she left home because her mother was
cooking meth. The mobile home is in a
neighboring district almost an hour away, but
Cheyenne is a senior and wants to graduate
from her school of origin.
 Is Cheyenne homeless?
 What assistance would you provide?
 What questions would you ask to make this
determination?
Case Study #3

Colby (age 18) and Case (age 15) are brothers
who are both enrolled at your school. Their
mother’s new boyfriend does not get along with
them and they decided to move into their sister’s
barn. They have a space heater and mattresses
on the floor. She allows them to shower in her
house, but her husband doesn’t like them eating
the family food.
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Are they homeless?
What assistance would you provide?
What other issues should you consider?
Case Study #4
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Dakota is a 6 year old who is brought in to your
district by his parents for enrollment. They live
in a camper that is parked in a neighboring
district. When you explain that they have to
enroll there, the father becomes belligerent. The
next day, the camper is parked in the school
parking lot and the father is waiting in the office.
 Is Dakota homeless?
 Which district does he have the right to
attend?
 What would you do?
Case Study #5

LaMar (age 8) and LaTonya (age 9) are brother and
sister. They currently stay in a small family-owned hotel
with their grandmother, where she does the cleaning in
exchange for a room. She does not have legal custody,
but is caring for the children while the mother is
incarcerated. Both children have “special needs” and
were in special education, but can’t remember the name
of their last school, because the mother “homeschooled”
them for the past several years. Grandmother has
brought them in to enroll in your district.
 Are they homeless?
 What things do you need to consider in this scenario?
 What assistance would you provide?
References
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2010. Rural Poverty in America. Wayne Flint. National Forum: FindArticles.com.
2008. January Research Matters. Housing Vouchers are Critical for Ending Family
Homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness, Homelessness Research
Institute.
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2005. Hunger Report. Strengthening Rural Communities. Center for Rural Affairs.
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2008. Rural Homeless Initiative of Southeast and Central Ohio: A National Model for
Planning to End Homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness.

2002. Continua of Care Best Practices: Comprehensive Homeless Planning in Rurik
America. Housing Assistance Council.
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2006. Homelessness in Rural America: Policy and Practice. Paul Rollinson and John
Pardeck. Haworth Press.
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1996. Out of Sight out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Small Town
America. Yvonne M. Vissing. University Press of America.
For Assistance Contact:
Wendy Kinnear
Regional Coordinator, Region 5
Pennsylvania’s Education for Children & Youth
Experiencing Homelessness Program (ECYEH)
Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV
453 Maple Street
Grove City, PA 16127
724.458.6700 X 1289
Fax: 724.458.5083
wendy.kinnear@miu4.org