FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF News) – The number of homeless children in North Texas is rising and it’s having devastating effects on their education.
Local advocates blame the lack of affordable housing, rising cost of food and underemployment for the spike.
ACH Child and Family Services’ Kimberly Bushlow said it’s a lifestyle marred by an instability no child should have to go through.
“Some of these children will wake up in a different house in the morning. Hopefully, they get to eat at school during the day and then they might go home to a different house that they may not be familiar with. They may or may not eat and they may or may not have time to sit down and do their homework,” she said.
Bushlow said the negative impacts of homelessness often bleeds into the classroom. “Many homeless students experience learning disabilities and emotional problems. Half of them are held back at least one grade level, some of them multiple levels and many of them eventually drop out of school, ” she said.
The lack of solutions to homelessness is a source of contention among advocates. Bushlow said for starters, the community needs to work together to find solutions to underemployment and the rising cost of living in the Metroplex.
“We also could use more after-school programs that feed children so that they have breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a safe and stable place to do homework and to learn,” she said.
Bushlow said that homelessness, especially among students, is an issue that everyone needs to be concerned about. “These things affect the future of these children and how they will interact with all of us and help our country to succeed, ” she said.
Bushlow said residents can make a positive impact on these kids by getting involved. She said concerned citizens can volunteer with organizations that work with homeless youth and contact their elected officials to advocate for more resources to provide a more stable environment for these children.
Copyright 2016. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
