The number of homeless schoolchildren in Arizona has surpassed 25,000 - equivalent to the population of Fountain Hills.
An increase of nearly 18 percent in the past year was driven by the soaring rate of unemployment and foreclosures, education officials say. Parents lose their jobs, then their home, and families lose their stability. They stay at a friend's, a hotel, a campground, a shelter - even live out of the car.
"We are now seeing families who come from middle-class America," said Sean Schubert, Peoria Unified School District's liaison for the homeless. "Now, many of those people are currently facing very challenging situations. What we all need to understand is that this can happen to anyone."
"We hear daily on the news how the Dow is doing, but less attention is being paid to how the recession is impacting our kids," said Phillip Lovell, vice president of the national children's advocacy group First Focus. "We need a significant policy response to solve this problem. Everyone needs to be involved."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/07/04/20090704homeless0704.html
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