how schools and early learning centres can support children experiencing homelessness

I recently read The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, and it reminded me that becoming homeless can happen to anyone, anytime. As she says in the book:

‘We are all just a slip away from losing everything we have. Life is precarious, and we should be grateful for what we have while we can.’

After losing their home and income, Winn and her husband, Moth, pack an old tent and some basic camping gear and walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path in England. Their tent becomes their home for several months. They ‘stealth’ camp along the way as they don’t have money to pay for campgrounds and find incredibly resourceful ways to make their meagre income stretch to get them through day to day.

They share the path with day hikers and thru-hikers who are on vacation, walk shoulder-to-shoulder, share cups of tea and stories, but they know they are different. They are homeless.

Winn gives us a profound and moving insight into the stigma (real and self-imposed), precariousness, uncertainty, danger and sense of dislocation that comes with being homeless. She is walking side by side with people on the path, but she is worlds apart; adrift, scared, exhausted, burdened, stressed, living in a parallel world.

what if you become homeless as a child?

As an adult, this is an incredibly confronting experience for Winn, but imagine how it impacts on a child? If your school friends go home at night, have access to food and clean clothes, have a place to do their homework, are involved in extracurricular activities, have money and transport to go to social events, have sleepovers, and you can’t do a lot of these things, how would it feel?

Like Raynor Winn, it must feel like you are living in a ‘parallel world’, but as a child, you probably have much less capacity to understand the context or name what you are feeling.

children and homelessness in Australia

When we think of people who are homeless, the stereotype of an older man living in a doorway still comes to mind for many people. While there are many older men experiencing homelessness, this is only part of the story.

According to the Eastern Homelessness Network, ‘Despite popular belief, children are one of the largest groups of Australians experiencing homelessness.’ Children & Parenting – Eastern Homelessness Network (ehn.org.au)

The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare provides the following statistics:

• 26,918 children had contact with Victorian homelessness services in 2018-19, accounting for almost 1 in every 4 people seeking assistance
• 22 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria at the 2016 census are children

With the cost-of-living crisis hitting families hard, and a lack of affordable or public housing, homelessness is on the rise.

reasons for child homelessness

In an article called, ‘Creating change for children in homelessness’, StreetSmart Australia is clear that poverty is a significant contributor to the number of children who are homeless:

‘Poverty is a key driver of homelessness for children and their families, driven by a chronic lack of affordable housing. Right now, 761,000 children under 15 years [in Australia] are living in poverty – that’s 1 in 6 kids.’

The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare identifies family violence as the leading cause of homelessness for children and women in Victoria.

For young people, physical or sexual abuse, violence, neglect, family conflict, or other forms of trauma in the home, may also be sources of homelessness.

Streetsmart also suggests that, ‘Children are increasingly facing homelessness … after losing a tenancy and having to re-enter the rental market’.

homelessness and mental health

Mental health can also be a major contributor to homelessness. If parents or carers are experiencing mental health issues, it can be difficult to find and maintain work, which in turn can make it difficult to maintain a home.

As Misson Australia notes:

‘A deterioration of mental health can trigger additional challenges that a person can experience through no fault of their own, such as:

• job loss or ability to attain or employment
• reliance on alcohol and other drugs
• loss of ability to sustain or qualify for tenancy
• breakdown in relationships and lack of support systems
• feelings of isolation
• deterioration of physical health and/or additional medical expenses.’

Being homeless can also impact on a child’s mental health. They may be living in environments where there is a high level of stress and anxiety, where things are uncertain and changeable, and where resources are extremely limited. They may also find themselves living in places where the physical space, or the people they co-habit with, make them unsafe.

hidden homelessness

Because there is a still a stigma around homelessness, and because we may still carry stereotypical ideas of what ‘homelessness’ looks like, it can be easy to miss the signs that children or young people are experiencing homelessness. Additionally, children and their families may go to great lengths to hide the fact they are experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness isn’t just when children are living ‘on the streets’ (although this is certainly one form of homelessness). They may also be spending the night:

• in supported accommodation for the homeless
• sleeping in temporary accommodation
• couch surfing
• living in severely crowded dwellings (ABS 2018). Australia’s children, Homelessness – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)

When children have a ‘roof over their heads’, we may not realise they are homeless. Their accommodation may be unstable, uncertain and sometimes unsafe. This can cause children, and their parents or carers, to feel powerless and anxious. Living in a world that looks so different to their peers can also lead children to feel isolated and excluded.

It can be hard to go about life as usual when you’re carrying this stress. In fact, it may take all your energy and focus just to get through each day.

impacts on a child’s development

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that when a child experiences homelessness, the impacts can affect many areas of their health and wellbeing:

Preschool and school-aged children experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience mental health problems than housed children, and some evidence suggests that homeless children are more likely to have physical disability, emotional or behavioural problems than housed children (Bassuk et al. 2015; Clair 2018). Food insecurity is also frequently reported by young people experiencing homelessness, putting them at increased risk of adverse health outcomes (Crawford et al. 2015).

Homelessness can also have a profound impact on a child’s educational outcomes and development:

‘Children living in poverty have fewer resources to buy food, uniforms, and school supplies, negatively affecting their engagement with education and learning. Often these vulnerabilities have long lasting impacts, with research showing that disadvantaged children are 2-3 years behind in reading and maths by the time they are 15.’  Creating change for children in homelessness – StreetSmart Australia

Additionally, homelessness is often associated with ‘decreased engagement in the classroom and, when coupled with frequent school moves, is associated with poor academic achievement’.

Being homeless as a child also increases the risk of becoming homeless as a young person or adult.

In this ABC article about families living in tents around the regional Victorian town of Bendigo, the interviewer highlights how there can be several barriers for children experiencing homelessness in attending and participating in school. These barriers include access to transport, lack of support services and having to navigate complex bureaucratic systems.

For example, sometimes children are unable to enrol without a fixed address.

“Families are normally required to provide schools with a place of permanent residence at the time of a child’s enrolment,” a Victorian Education Department spokesperson said in a statement. Families who can’t find rental housing left with no choice but to live in tents in the bush – ABC News

how to recognise when a child may be experiencing homelessness

 If you are working with children in an educational or other setting, you might notice things like:

• a change in clothing or items provided in lunches
• a change in behaviour—children may become more withdrawn or disruptive or they may find it difficult to concentrate
• a change in capacity to go on excursions or buy school supplies
• a change in academic outcomes
• an increase in days away from school or preschool
• parents’ routines may change and there may be times they can’t pick children up on time
• parents or carers may seem disorganised, distracted or overwhelmed.

Schoolhouse Connection suggests you might also see:

• enrolment at multiple schools, lack of records, gaps in learning
• poor hygiene, unmet medical/dental needs, wearing the same clothes repeatedly, fatigue.

Of course, these changes may be the result of any number of factors, so it’s important not to jump to conclusions. However, they could be prompts to gently inquire if the parent or carer is okay and if they need any support.

what you can do to support children in schools and early learning centres

When supporting children and families, it’s important to assume that the parents or carers are doing the best they can for their children within the limitations of their circumstances. By making this assumption, we can be supportive, empathetic and respectful, which is more likely to encourage people to feel we are ‘on their side’ and be more open to support.

In a Launch Housing report, titled, ‘What works for children experiencing homelessness and/or family/domestic violence?’, the authors note that schools can be a protective factor for children and can promote healthy development.

The research shows that schools and early learning providers can play an important role in supporting children experiencing homelessness. Schools can help by creating a continuity of education and by reducing the risk of the child falling behind (which can increase the risk of homelessness, lower educational outcomes and result in health issues later in life). They can also be a source of stability, structure, ongoing relationships with teachers and other students, physical resources like food, clothes and school supplies, and psychological support.

Schools and early learning centres can ensure they create a welcoming environment for all students and find ways to for them to actively participate regardless of their living situation. They might do this by:

• having snacks and food available for all children
• making sure children don’t have to do homework to succeed
• having spare clothes, books, stationary, hygiene products, and other school resources
• subsidising excursions so that all children can participate
• connecting with parents and carers about any supports they need, finding flexible and respectful ways for them to stay involved in their child’s education, and talking about the best ways to contact them (as they may not have a phone).

Schoolhouse Connection also suggests taking a trauma-informed approach:

‘The experience of, and events leading up to, homelessness can expose students to violence, abuse, hunger, trafficking, and other traumatic experiences. Allow students to hold on to personal possessions in class, keeping in mind that any possession may be the child’s only one. Provide well-defined transition procedures from one activity to another and give choices when appropriate to counter the loss of control experienced in their lives.’

noticing strengths

When supporting children, young people and families who are experiencing homelessness, acknowledging that people are doing the best they can under highly stressful and difficult circumstances can help them feel supported and encouraged. Just surviving each day can be an achievement.

It takes a great deal of skill and energy to navigate services, source food, make sure children have clothes and school supplies, and provide a nurturing environment when you are under so much stress.

To negotiate their way through such challenges, children and families have to draw on many strengths, skills and resources. For example, they may be resourceful, creative, organised, flexible, brave, and persistent. They may have resources and supports like family and friends, community, services, schools or food banks. It can be helpful to encourage them to consciously notice and name their strengths, skills and resources, as this can feel empowering and hopeful.

As Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path and now advocate for homeless services, says of the experience of being homeless, ‘Strength is about more than just physicality. It’s about resilience, determination and finding the light even in the darkest of times.’

If you believe a student may be homeless and you are looking for advice, talk to your Student Wellbeing team or search for local homelessness services online.

Using card sets like Two Worlds, Funky Fish Feelings, Tell a Trusted Adult, Strengths Unlimited or Positive Parenting with children or families may also be a gentle way to open up a conversation about feelings, family strengths, transitions, moving between homes, family conflict, homelessness, and the challenges that might arise as a result of family breakdown.

 by Sue King-Smith