There’s a frightening new report out from the Metro Housing Coalition that points to the real misery being endured by some of our city’s youngest residents — during the last school year, 8.8 percent of JCPS students were homeless at some point during the year.
Of more than 8,500 homeless students, 474 were in kindergarten, and of those, almost 20 percent missed more than 10 percent of school days. That’s getting off to a bad start.
From 2004-2008, the number went up 50 percent. In the last year and a half, 583 students lived in homes that were foreclosed on.
Cathy Hinko, executive director of the Metro Housing Coalition, said, “Even we were shocked by the numbers. This is a very significant issue. 8.8 percent of all children, in one school year, is a huge number. I’m very worried that the 8.8 percent number will go up.”
She said she’s concerned about the upcoming year, given national statistics on unemployment and poverty.
Between 2000 and 2007, adusted for inflation, median income in Louisville dropped by 2 percent. Meanwhile, she said, the cost of a loaf of bread went up by 9 percent. The cost of essentials like gasoline and home heating went up by a lot more than that.
“We have less purchasing power, and we’ve seen an increased demand for rent-assisted housing,” she said. More than 15,000 households are on the waiting list for Section 8 housing in Louisville alone, she said.
“One of the reasons we’re concerned about this is because homelessness has an enormous impact on student achievement,” she said, pointing to Grade 3 reading levels that show homeless students have about half the proficiency level in reading compared with the general JCPS population. Absenteeism among the homeless group is very high.
So what’s being done about it? Hinko says the keys are to increase affordable housing opportunities. She also wants to see a community task force of government, education, business, housing, social services and faith groups come together to develop a strategy for dealing with the current problem.
“We’re moving that agenda forward, and are going to make sure it happens,” she said.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Johnson // Aug 20, 2009 at 4:41 pm
MHC brings to light the problem but their solution stinks. Wayside made us go to some public hearing and we had to hear MHC tell this board that bigger is better and no need for the government to do inspections.
MHC solution wants the homeless put in large shelters segreated from other income classes. No way, sister. While police and other inspectors are kept out, she says trust Wayside to do the inspections. Wayside is not a place for children. I stayed there several nights ago and the place was a dump. Children were exposed to smoke in the building, mold, dust, dirt and crap on the toilets. People were drinking liquor in the stalls. The place stunk. Worse they don’t even have toilet paper! Is this some kind of third world prison? No background checks were done either so we didn’t know who was right or wrong. Moreover, they wanted my child to go to a school at Wayside and not the public school she was going to. She said kids at her old school will make fun of my kids. What was JCPS donating office space and teachers for? I tried to go to my AA meeting and they told us it is not allowed there and I would have to go up to a Church near all the bars on Baxter. MHC what side are you on? We want homes not shelters—we need to be reunited with our loving familes not people who scorn us. Stop advocating for big business with no accounatability to taxpayers, advocate for us.–women, children and men MHC start fighting for us not for them.
2 JTT // Aug 20, 2009 at 7:08 pm
OK, I read the story twice, and I still don’t know how they define homelessness? Certainly all these kids aren’t at wayside, where are they?
I suspect that their definition would mean, for example, that when my aunt and her kids moved in with her parents, they were “homeless.” But, in fact, it was just what you did when money was tight, move in with family members. Over the years, I’ve had various family move in and out of the extra bedroom, and I guarantee none considered themselves homeless.
So, what is the definition?
3 JTT // Aug 20, 2009 at 7:08 pm
OK, I read the story twice, and I still don’t know how they define homelessness? Certainly all these kids aren’t at wayside, where are they?
I suspect that their definition would mean, for example, that when my aunt and her kids moved in with her parents, they were “homeless.” But, in fact, it was just what you did when money was tight, move in with family members. Over the years, I’ve had various family move in and out of the extra bedroom, and I guarantee none considered themselves homeless.
So, what is the definition?
4 Diane Nilan // Aug 21, 2009 at 8:10 pm
The report is alarming, but sadly not unique to the Louisville area. These soaring numbers are happening all over.
Schools use the definition that includes families/youth, due to hardship, who are staying doubled-up with others , in motels, campgrounds, vehicles, or in shelters.
The difference between the old doubled-up situation and now is profound. Families now must be able to come up with thousands for security deposits, first and last month rent, utility deposits, etc., if they can find rentals. Additionally, they often must pass credit checks, are screened out of the little public housing that may be available because the parent or someone in the family may have a felony.
It’s a different world, and we’re not giving families the chance to thrive–they barely survive.
5 Richard // Aug 22, 2009 at 1:05 pm
What would fix most of this is the creation and retention of living wage family sustaining jobs. That would help so much. Not just creating box flipping jobs at some UPS facility or a spin off. But real jobs.
As far as the rest, they need to get some of these folks off of drugs and alcohol and those with true mental illnesses need to be institutionalized with care and compassion.
This whole nonsense of having credit checks for everything including employment needs to stop. Either you can do the job or you can’t. They expect to get employees and pay them dirt cheap and then wonder why many of them can’t pay the bills or fall behind on their payments. Its no wonder why with the multitude of part time, temp jobs, and low wage jobs in Louisville and other places.
6 Richard // Aug 22, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Another thing about the people that are not paying, if they don’t pay then you have the right to evict them within whatever the statute of the law says. Its a little different when someone loses a job than versus someone that is strung out on drugs, alcohol, or plain doesn’t care. Sometimes it happens with a job and other times there are bums who won’t work or try to pay their bills. Some distinction needs to be made than just throwing everyone in the garbage
7 Richard // Aug 22, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Diane,
They aren’t giving everyone the opportunity to survive or thrive because we have a flawed economic system in the USA. One which allows for the exploitation of the individual by the banks, credit card companies, insurance providers, and other parasitic organizations. Where a person gets in hock and can’t fight their way out except working 3 menial jobs where employers don’t have to provide basic healthcare expenses, decent pay, and family oriented behavior. They always want to put the responsibility onto the individual or family but how about some of these rotten employers that have more corruption than a overpaid AIG employee.
8 Richard // Aug 22, 2009 at 1:12 pm
By the way, how about the individuals out here working for 8 to 10 dollars an hour. Or these scumbags at the temporary agencies that screw their employees out of pay and benefits and pocket the rest. These people are the biggest greaseballs on the planet. They are leeches on a healthy body and its no wonder why the country is going downhill very fast.
Leave a Comment