According to newly released data from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the rate of students without a home has increased by 8 percent from the 2013-14 school year. Oregon school districts identified 20,524 homeless K-12 students during the 2014-15 school year.

From the ODE:

The number of children and youth in shelters has remained steady in recent years, a sign that capacity has been reached and new shelter beds are not available.  The largest increases came from the numbers of children living in motels (a 14% increase) and the number of unsheltered youth (a 19% increase). The number of homeless students who are unaccompanied by parents or guardians also increased by 6.5%, to 3,321. The vast majority of homeless youth, both in Oregon and nationally, are living in doubled up housing due to economic hardship.

In Lane County, ODE reported 722 unhoused students in 4J, representing 4.24 percent of 4J’s student population. Bethel had 407 unhoused students, or 7.21 percent of its student population, and Springfield had 491 unhoused students, or 4.44 percent of all students.

Eugene and Bethel’s numbers have grown from the 2013-14 school year, while Springfield’s numbers have dropped, from 580 in the 2013-14 year to 491 students in the most recent data year, 2014-15.

For the full data list, see ODE’s website.

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