Hurricane Harvey's Homeless: The Educational Impacts of Natural Disasters Versus Other Pathways to Homelessness

• In Event: Differences in Educational Outcomes by Homeless Type

Abstract

We provide initial empirical insights into how different causal pathways of homelessness are related to student outcomes. Specifically, we examine how educational outcomes of students who became homeless due to a natural disaster – Hurricane Harvey – compare to those of students who became homeless for economic/other reasons. Using data on 480,008 Houston ISD students from 2013 to 2019, we estimate the effect of becoming homeless via fixed effects models. Students who became homeless after Harvey fared better than other homeless students on key outcomes, including attendance and math and reading achievement, although they had more disciplinary infractions. In interpreting these findings, we draw insights from Buckner’s simplifying model of homeless causes and environmental justice, concluding with implications for policy and practice.

Authors

• Meredith Paige Richards, Southern Methodist University

• Alexandra E. Pavlakis, Southern Methodist University

• Kessa Roberts, Southern Methodist University