June 2021
Youth HEALers Balloon Activity
New Data Released: Youth Experiencing Homelessness
By Dr. JJ Cutuli, Nemours Children’s Health System, PEC Visiting Scholar 
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a research team from Nemours Children’s Health and the University of Pennsylvania found 509,025 public high school students in 24 states experienced homelessness in spring 2019. This number is three times the number of students recognized by the states’ education agencies as eligible for support under the McKinney-Vento legislation. The graph below shows the discrepancy in numbers of homeless students between the CDC data and the state or local education agency data.  
Chart of the number of high school students in 24 states and 12 districts demonstrating that the YRBSS identifies three times as many students as the counts by the education agencies. YRBSS estimates include 95% confidence intervals.
The discrepancy between the CDC’s data, collected through the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), and the state and local school agency homelessness numbers is likely due to the design of the YRBSS. The anonymous survey and complex sampling design allows for a more accurate representation of the scope of homelessness, compared to typical methods of identifying students experiencing homelessness.

In addition to presenting the prevalence of homelessness, the authors also examined associations with homelessness. Homelessness was more likely among students who were male, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, or Native American/Hawaiian. Students who experienced homelessness reported higher rates of sexual victimization, physical victimization, and having been bullied. Even when controlling for other risk factors, students who experienced homelessness reported higher rates of severe suicidality, hard drug use, alcohol abuse, risky sexual behavior, and poor grades.
People's Emergency Center hosted a webinar about this report with the researchers, and US Congresspersons Evans and Doyle. You can find the full report, the webinar slides, and the webinar audio by clicking on the button.
boy, girl, book, bed
Great news – City Council Approves Renters Access Act
By Jess Humphries
Manager, Prevention and Diversion
People's Emergency Center

Led by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Jamie Gauthier, and Helen Gym, City Council passed both bills in the Renters' Access Act! Bill No. 210329 passed unanimously, and Bill No. 210330 passed with a 16-1 vote.

The law is expected to give thousands of renters a better chance of securing safe, stable housing as both landlords and renters recover from the pandemic. The first of the two bills increases transparency by requiring landlords to provide uniform, written rental screening criteria to prospective tenants and a written statement of reasons for that denial, including any third-party reports used in making the rental decision. The second bill regulates tenant screening practices and roots out biases by prohibiting blanket exclusions of people with eviction records, or based solely on a credit score

Together the bills make it illegal in Philadelphia for landlords to deny renters' applications based solely on:

  • an eviction record over two years old;
  • low or no credit score; or
  • inability to pay rent during the pandemic.

This act is an important step toward housing and racial equity in Philadelphia. Homeless families in Philadelphia, who are disproportionately Black, are routinely denied housing based on one or more of these factors. As an example, PEC enrolled 110 families for security deposit assistance over the past year and only 15 of them, or 14%, were able to find housing within 3 months. All of these families experienced at least one of the three barriers that this act would address.  
 
Action Steps: Thank your City Council offices and tell them you appreciate their support of renters. For your convenience, we are providing their email addresses and Twitter handles.

Jamie.Gauthier@phila.gov, @CouncilmemberJG
Helen.Gym@phila.gov, @HelenGymPHL
Darrell.Clarke@phila.gov, @Darrell_Clarke
Curtis.Jones@phila.gov, @Mr4thDistrict
Derek.Green@phila.gov, @CouncilmanDerek
Mark.squilla@phila.gov, @CMMarkSquilla
Kenyatta.Johnson@phila.gov, @CouncilmemberKJ
Bobby.Henon@phila.gov, @BobbyHenon
Maria.Q.Sanchez@phila.gov, @MariaQSanchez
Cindy.Bass@phila.gov, @cindybassphilly
Cherelle.Parker@phila.gov, @CherelleParker9
Brian.ONeill@phila.gov, @ONeill4NEPhilly
Isaiah.thomas@phila.gov, @CMThomasPHL
baby, tummy time, bed
Save the Date: September 29, 2021 – Babies Can’t Wait
The 2021 BELL Summit will be Wednesday, September 29, 2021 from 9 AM to 12 PM. It will be virtual. Registration information will be sent in future newsletters.

The theme of this year’s summit is “Babies Can’t Wait: How Philadelphia Can Lead Pennsylvania and other Major Metros in supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness.”

The keynote speaker will be Mr. John McLaughlin, Education Program Specialist with the United States Department of Education. In this capacity, Mr. McLaughlin oversees the national implementation of the McKinney-Vento homeless education system.

Confirmed panel participants will be:
  • Tracey Campanini of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning,
  • Donna Cooper, PCCY,
  • Barbara Duffield of SchoolHouse Connection,
  • and Tracy Duarte, PA Head Start Collaboration Office.