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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 10, 2014 03:27 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Jake Wheatley, Jr. |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Homeless Children’s Awareness Week |
| In the near future, I am planning to introduce a resolution recognizing the week of October 19 through 26, 2014, as “Homeless Children’s Awareness Week” in Pennsylvania. The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act states that children are homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Children of all ages are negatively impacted by homelessness in the areas of physical health, emotional and behavioral development and academic success. Indeed, youth experiencing homelessness face various obstacles, often including frequent moves which disrupt their education, making them twice as likely to repeat a grade. The National Coalition for the Homeless cites studies that show youth experiencing homelessness are set back academically three to six months. Moreover, the national school dropout rate for children facing homelessness is 60% higher than for a child who does not have that experience during the school year. In Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of homeless students increased from 18,531 in School Year 2010-11 to 19,905 in School Year 2011-12, which is a seven percent increase. Further, since the 2009-10 School Year, the number of homeless students increased 32% across the nation. Homeless Children’s Awareness Week will bring attention to the growing problems and issues children experiencing homelessness face throughout Pennsylvania and encourage people to get involved. |