Demystifying the Stigma of Transient African American Housing Dwellers

African American transient housing dwellers are the studied population in this chapter. A noted section addresses transient students, also referred to as highly mobile students, which are a group that can benefit from additional educational support at school and also in the community. As communities of people are drawn together in faith and love, churches are distinctively positioned to fill in the gap for kids and their communities. By entering into a supportive partnership with a school, they can make the kind of difference that transforms a community. According to Fulgham, every school in low-income communities has a plethora of needs, and churches likely feel compelled to meet each of them. Fulgham went on to encourage churches to prioritize their support for programs and activities that help increase student achievement. This chapter provides findings from interviews conducted with adult transient housing dwellers and suggests methods to reach transient African American students during challenging times, specifically addressing their educational needs.

Supporting the Well-Being of Highly Mobile Students

This chapter discusses efforts that educational and mental health professionals can take to help highly mobile students. These students often are impacted by homelessness, foster care, or the juvenile justice system. Although the needs of each respective student population differ, all highly mobile students experience residential instability, which is associated with an elevated risk for experiencing disruptions in academic and psychosocial functioning. However, consistent with a dual-factor model of mental health, many highly mobile students display considerable resilience and do not succumb to the pernicious effects of residential instability. Thus, under a multitiered system of support framework, this chapter also covers specific ways that school-based practitioners can attenuate risks while bolstering resilience to support well-being. Additionally, extant laws related to educational access and service delivery for highly mobile students are reviewed such as the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Improvements Act and the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision.

Students Experiencing Homelessness

Students experiencing homelessness face many challenges as the result of unstable, inadequate, or unsafe housing. Under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program in the McKinney-Vento Act, children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence have the right to be immediately enrolled in school and to stay in the same school when they move if this is determined to be in the students’ best interest. Given recent natural disasters and economic crises, the number of students in our schools without permanent housing has increased with estimates that one in fifty children experiences homelessness every year. Having access to school and stability in their education can provide a needed safe haven for these children and youth, and educators play a critical role in ensuring this is true. School-based professionals should understand the definition of homelessness, be able to recognize the warning signs of homelessness, know what resources and supports are available, and create welcoming classrooms that are proactive and structured to assist such highly mobile students as well as their more permanently housed peers.