WHEREAS; Every year between four and five thousand kids are served in the homelessness continuum of care in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS; Homelessness has a profound impact on a child's ability to attend in and succeed at school; and
WHEREAS; Even among American social policy the racial disparity seen in youth homelessness jumps out, over 85% of youth served in Philadelphia’s continuum of care are black; and
WHEREAS; Identifying kids at risk of or currently homeless is deceptively difficult and shouldn’t be the focus of classroom teachers and administrators, who currently identify most of the kids known to the schools; and
WHEREAS; In most years approximately 60% of youth served in the City’s homelessness continuum of care are of school age and another 1 in five are or should be in preK ; and
WHEREAS; Philadelphia School District test scores, attendance rates and social emotional conflicts are all influenced by the number of homeless kids in the school district; and
WHEREAS; Through holistic community-facing policy can the City of Philadelphia adequately identify, care for and ensure that homelessness doesn’t become the beginning of a multi-generational poverty trap by ensuring a quality education for homeless kids; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA authorize the Committee on Education to hold hearings investigating the incidence, rate, impacts and outcomes of homeless students in the School District of Philadelphia to determine the best interventions to improve outcomes for some of our most vulnerable.
End