About Students in Temporary Housing
In New York City, over 100,000 students experience homelessness, with the largest segment living in “doubled-up” situations — that is, living with another family or another person due to loss of housing or other economic hardship. While this group makes up a significant portion of the homeless student population, their unique circumstances often go unrecognized. Prior work by the Research Alliance suggests that doubled-up students face a range of challenges, including frequent school changes, lower academic achievement, higher rates of chronic absenteeism, and other barriers to school engagement.
About the Study
This study aims to shine a light on the specific needs of doubled-up students in New York City. In partnership with the NYCPS Students in Temporary Housing (STH) team, the project seeks to identify gaps in knowledge and resources among school staff about how to support this vulnerable population effectively. The findings will provide insight that helps schools better serve not only doubled-up students but also other overlapping populations, such as unaccompanied youth and multilingual learners. Drawing on surveys and in-depth focus groups, our work is addressing the following key questions:
- How do school staff recognize and understand the needs of doubled-up students?
- What resources and strategies do school staff currently employ to assist these students, and what additional support do they require?
We expect the study to produce actionable recommendations for professional development materials and promising practices for schools.
Project Team
Other Team Members
- Hope Harvey
- Paul Trujillo
- Toby Wu
This work is supported through a grant from New York City Public Schools, with funding from the American Rescue Plan-Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY).
Related Publications
Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness in NYC
More than 154,000 NYC students were living in temporary housing during the 2024-2025 school year. This brief summarizes insights from research on the educational impacts of student homelessness and promising NYC interventions.
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools
Do “Bridging the Gap” Social Workers Improve Attendance for Students Experiencing Homelessness?
Each year, more than 100,000 NYC students are identified as homeless. The Bridging the Gap program was launched in 2017 to help schools better support these vulnerable young people.
“Does it fit in a box we can check off?” The interpretive work of identifying doubled-up homeless students
Identifying doubled-up homeless students is crucial for serving them effectively and fully understanding the problem of housing insecurity in NYC. Drawing on surveys and focus groups with district and school staff, this article examines barriers to identifying doubled-up students, including challenges interpreting and applying the federal definition of “doubling-up” and the need to build trusting relationships with families.