Monterey County currently has the highest population of homeless youth in the state according to data from the California Department of Education. With more students experiencing unstable living conditions each year, county leaders are faced with helping families navigate an affordability crisis.

Data released in October showed the number of homeless students in Monterey County increased by 16% compared to the previous school year, but the Monterey County Office of Education believes that number has grown since then. During the most recent school year, 13,500 students out of nearly 73,000 were homeless — that translates to 18% of students experiencing homelessness.

“The economic situation and the cost of housing continue to rise and become a particular challenge here in our county,” said Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss. “As the economy continues to get worse, it becomes more and more challenging for families.”

The county’s office of education points to a lack of affordable housing as the main reason for the continued rise in student homelessness. With many of the affordable housing options throughout the country having strict income limits and long waiting lists, the most common solution is multiple families living within one dwelling.

Many families tend to not even categorize themselves as homeless, because many of them are doubled or tripled up and have a roof over their heads. This still qualifies as unstable housing and is the situation the county sees the most, said Guss.

While the number of students in unstable housing has always been high in the county, districts have begun to use more intense housing questionnaires during enrollment season to help them identify families who may benefit from housing resources, according to Guss.

One of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s programs, for example, allows families living in their cars to park in a safe designated area where they can access laundry and restroom facilities. Salinas City Elementary School District has three family resource centers where parents can pick up clothes, diapers and other supplies.

“Whatever it is that would set that student or that family up for success, they can access those services through their family resource centers,” said Guss.

The county office’s main role is working with the district liaisons who provide direct support to families in need. In combination with the county’s support of the district’s individual programs the county’s Homeless Children and Youth Services Program is a result of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. The law provides protections to children experiencing homelessness, including rights to immediate enrollment and transportation to and from school.

In Monterey County, the number of students experiencing this hardship has only continued to grow over the years. In 2023-24, just over 12,000 students lived with one or more families due to economic hardship, according to data from the Monterey County Office of Education.

To provide as much assistance as possible, the county office partners with various organizations to create enhanced care management programs, according to Donna Smith, director of program integration and support in the county’s Homeless Children & Youth Services department.

The office partners with United Way to host an annual Stuff the Bus event that provides book bags full of school supplies to low-income students before school starts. This year’s event will take place from July 14-18.

There is also a partnership with Housing for School Kids, a nonprofit which started in 2022 dedicated to addressing homelessness and providing stable housing to students and families in need. Previously known as Housing for Kids, the organization has a fund through the Community Foundation for Monterey County so community members can donate directly to help families.

Donations are used to provide emergency assistance to families facing eviction and move-in costs. An initial partnership with Monterey Peninsula Unified helped over 100 children and their families find stable housing, according to Karen Osborne, one of the founders.

The partnership with the county office expanded this past year and has so far helped over 90 students and their families throughout the county.

Families must meet specific criteria to qualify for assistance in order to ensure they will be able to sustain their housing, said Smith. The support services have proven successful as at least 90% of families helped have successfully stayed housed, according to Smith. “Housing is our biggest challenge and will continue to be our biggest challenge” said Smith.

To further combat the issue. Housing for School Kids is considering expanding the organization to help raise funding that can be used for developers to build more low income housing.

“Right now, we’re very proud of the way that the MCOE thing is working,” said Osborne. “It’s smooth as silk, and safe at every step. All someone has to do is go to the website and donate, and the money goes directly to (helping) the families.”

Looking forward, there is a concern over how the federal budget could impact services provided to McKinney-Vento students, said Guss. The proposed federal budget consolidates funding for 18 K-12 programs, including McKinney-Vento, and could cut funding for those programs by up to 60%.

“We already have so many students that qualify for McKinney-Vento, and then if the funding does get reduced, then how do districts respond to that?” asked Guss. Districts may have to resort to layoffs or fewer service offerings if that funding does get cut dramatically, she said.

“As far as policy goes,” said Guss, “we’re just really hopeful that, as decisions are made in Washington, they remember our most vulnerable students and that they do not reduce funding to the folks that are struggling the most and need the most support.”