Oregon Public Broadcasting

The number of homeless students in Oregon has gone up again in the last school year. A new report from the Department of Education shows there were almost 16,000 Oregon students in unstable living situations.

That included kids and teens that have to live with friends, stay in a motel or trailer, or sleep in tents or cars.

Dana Bolt is the state coordinator for the homeless education program. She says certain parts of Oregon are harder hit than others.

Dana Bolt: “The places that I am most concerned about are the smaller districts, the rural areas. Over half of the school districts in Oregon are rural and in small communities, and those are the communities that really struggle to help kids because they don’t have access to a lot of money.”

Bolt says the good news is that the increase in the number of homeless students seems to be slowing down. Compared to last year’s report, the number rose by about two percent. In previous years, the rate of increase had been much higher.