Homeless Families ‘Thought They’d Never be in These Circumstances’

The 32 homeless students that the is tracking this school year come from a range of life situations, school officials say.

They range from elementary school to high school age, said Aaron Stanton, director of student support services for the district.

Their families are “people who thought they’d never be in these circumstances.”

They’re not new students who’ve entered the district. "I'd say the majority are students within the district already that come to these circumstances,” he said. “Most have been here and have established themselves here."

How they end up homeless varies: families lose their homes; there are other financial circumstances; even domestic violence. Problems at home require that Stanton, as the district’s designated homeless students liaison, take a more personal approach, and that is sometimes difficult, he said.

There are also high school-aged students who voluntarily leave home and instead bunk up with friends or couch-surf. Because they’ve left home on their own, they don’t meet the federal definition of homeless. But “it’s not normal for a kid to leave home,” said Stanton. Consequently, it’s left to the liaison to decide if the student qualifies for transportation assistance under the federal McKinney-Vento act.

For more information about Enumclaw School District’s homeless student resources, contact Aaron Stanton at 360-802-7104 or email aaron_stanton@enumclaw.wednet.edu.