By: Loan-Anh Pham, Ryanna Lui
Homelessness in Milpitas is a growing issue and a cause for concern, MHS School Linked Services Coordinator Nicole Steward said. There are currently 224 students throughout the whole district that are known to qualify for the McKinney-Vento Act, and from that number, 71 are from MHS, Steward added.
The McKinney Vento Act acknowledges that homelessness comes in many forms, including couch surfing, doubling up in small living spaces, and living in cars, RVs, or shelters, Steward said. Services the school directly offers includes free lunches and transportation, and the school can also refer families for medical services or counseling services, Steward said.
“Kids don’t have to be literally homeless to qualify. The point of McKinney-Vento is really to find any families that are struggling with housing and to try to get that support they need, so that they stay housed,” Steward said. “About 75 percent or 80 percent of our families are doubled up. If they are doubled up, a family is sharing housing with another family due to financial reasons. So there’s a one bedroom apartment, but there’s eight people in there.”
Homelessness is caused by a variety of reasons, including high cost of rent, untreated mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, or a poor family environment, LifeMoves Annual Fund Manager Shelby Dobrenz said. LifeMoves is an organization that serve individuals and families across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, providing shelter to 750 clients every night, Dobrenz added.
Those who are homeless have the option of reaching out to shelters and other organizations for help, LifeMoves Vice President of Programs and Services Brian Greenberg said. Those who are waitlisted are left to find housing at relatives’ houses while others will live in their cars, Greenberg added.
“Without organizations like us, there would be many more families living in their cars, many more families doubled up with two or three families in very small apartments,” Greenberg said. “There would be fewer exits from poverty and homelessness.”
Housing crises occur year round, but are especially prominent around Thanksgiving and Christmas, Steward said. In 2018, thirteen and eleven families respectively were evicted during those holidays, Steward continued. Evictions are increasing in Milpitas due to a lack of rent control, because the city allows landlords to evict renters without reason, regardless if they are paying rent on time and are good tenants, Steward added.
“I had one family, their rent went from $1800 to $4200 dollars – that’s ridiculous,” Stewart commented. “What’s happening is BART and Google are coming. A lot of the landlords are assuming that a tech person is going to pay that.”
The school tries its best to provide stability for students who are currently enrolled, although it could use more assistance, Steward said. With all the burdens that stem from being homeless, Steward tries to communicate to students that school is as safe of a place as possible, she said.
“I do have few families that I’ve referred to Bay Area legal aid to fight their evictions, but some families get exhausted and just leave the area,” Steward commented. “We don’t want families to have to do that, we want kids to stay here, be able to finish school here.”
There is not a defining characteristic in terms of academic performance among all the homeless students, Steward said. However, one thing they share is the stigma of their housing conditions, she continued.
“Some of the kids have behavioral issues because being homeless is a trauma; it’s really hard to navigate being homeless and then coming to school and pretending like everything’s great,” Steward explained. “So maybe they have attendance issues, behavioral issues, or grade issues, but I also have homeless kids who are living in a car and getting straight ‘A’ grades and have perfect attendance. It just depends, and a lot of times that improves after I’ve connected with them and told them, ‘We have support for your family.’”
Nonetheless, students still tend to be negatively affected, more commonly regarding attendance, Greenberg said. Schools in poor neighborhoods should offer the same resources its affluent counterparts, Greenberg continued. This expectation should extend into college, so that capable students are not hindered and can attend schools with proper rigor, Greenberg added.
“People that are desperately poor tend to have in general less perfect attendance than people who are middle class or affluent,” Greenberg stated. “So while they go to school regularly, school attendance is positively correlated with income.”
As for what the community can do, kindness is crucial and a major factor in making sure those with struggles feel safe and welcome at school, Steward said. If both students and teachers are aware, more students can be referred, allowing more help to reach those that need it, Steward added.
“I think it’s really easy, being in high school, to pay attention to status and what people are wearing, how people look,” Steward said. “Kids that are struggling then have to do a lot more to pretend they’re not struggling. I wish, in general, that our student body would be a little more compassionate with each other. I think there’s a lot of that in our campus, but I would love for that to spread a lot more.”
