Kathleen Estrada

Staff Writer

On February 4^th, 2020 the UNCG’s twitter page posted a link to an article titled “Number of Homeless Students Rises to New High, Report Says”with the caption, “The number of homeless students has risen to a new high, according to a report from @UNCG ‘s National Center for Homeless Education.” 

While it seemed like the article was initially a study done on students of our campus, that is not quite the case. The study focuses on children ages Kindergarten through 12^thgrade. However, the study is conducted at UNCG through the North Carolina Homeless Education Program. 

The study actually concluded that, “During the 2016-2017 school year, North Carolina public schools reported that 29,545* students enrolled in grades K-12 experienced homelessness during the school year.” The study also concluded that, “the majority of NC K-12 students experiencing homelessness live in the more populous regions of the State, both urban and rural regions face unique challenges in identifying and serving the educational needs of these students.” 

The results of this study are uncomfortable. The study goes on to report that, “While the majority of NC K-12 students experiencing homelessness live in the more populous regions of the State, both urban and rural regions face unique challenges in identifying and serving the educational needs of these students.” This was a huge surprise considering that Greensboro as a city is one of the cities in North Carolina with a higher number of immigrants. 

While this study is tragic, and it is hard to digest, what does this mean for college students?

 UNCG NEWS posted an article in 2017 titled, “Research, Advocacy At UNCG For Homeless students.” In this article it talks about the research done by NCHEP and how it relates to UNCG students. They reported that, “ it’s not just K-12 students who receive support from NCHE. Homelessness on college campuses continues to be an issue across the state and the country – approximately 58,000 college students nationally reported that they experienced homelessness during the 2014-15 academic year.” 

The Center of the North Carolina Homeless Education Program at UNCG is located about twenty minutes north of the main campus. There you can find liaisons who are willing to help those who need it. The program also offers services such as, housing and support services, information on local food banks, information on homeless students with disabilities as well as educational rights for children. 

If you or anyone you know is experiencing homelessness as a student please feel free to visit or call the North Carolina Homeless Education Program. They are located at The SERVE Center at UNC Greensboro. Their address is 5900 Summit Avenue, #201 Browns Summit, NC 27214. Their phone number is phone: (336) 315-7400.

Categories: Features