{"id":64468,"date":"2025-02-28T16:18:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T00:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/?p=64468"},"modified":"2025-03-10T17:46:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T00:46:14","slug":"sf-schools-homeless-students-ubi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/sf-schools-homeless-students-ubi\/","title":{"rendered":"Can $1,000 a month help S.F.\u2019s homeless students succeed? This middle school is finding out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A year ago, Sadie B.\u2019s daughters struggled to stay awake in class. They were exhausted from spending nights on acquaintances\u2019 couches, moving from one temporary space to another every few months. Sadie, a recently arrived immigrant from Nicaragua, spent her days searching for a full-time job to support her daughters, but without housing, finding stability felt impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in September, the girls\u2019 school gave Sadie\u2019s family a lifeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadie became one of nine parents at Everett Middle School to receive a guaranteed monthly income of $1,000 \u2014 part of an experimental program aimed at helping families escape homelessness. With the money, she\u2019s now able to afford a rented room in an apartment for herself and her daughters, who are both enrolled in Everett. And this school year, she says, her daughters are doing better in school, and have high hopes for the future: one wants to become a lawyer, and the other, an engineer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lea esta historia en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadie\u2019s family is part of a first-of-its-kind pilot program in San Francisco\u2019s public schools to support families facing housing instability. Funded by a city grant, Everett is giving nine unhoused families cash payments every month for three years, hoping that financial stability will improve their students\u2019 mental health and academic performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maria Figueroa, 31, a newcomer site coordinator, opens the door to a classroom at Everett Middle School, where children in San Francisco\u2019s Guaranteed Basic Income program for Latino newcomers do their homework. San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 7, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The program was inspired by the principles of Guaranteed Basic Income<\/a> (GBI), which have gained traction<\/a> across the country in recent years as a way to reduce poverty. Unlike traditional aid, which often comes with restrictions, GBI gives people cash directly, trusting them to spend it on what they need most. Studies in recent years have shown that similar programs<\/a> can improve<\/a> both financial<\/a> and mental health<\/a> \u2014 results that Everett is hoping to replicate.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more than 3,000 SFUSD students<\/a> reportedly experiencing homelessness last year, and many<\/a> of them<\/a> struggling with depression, anxiety and academic difficulties, Everett is one of the many schools stepping in to help their students <\/a>succeed beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unconventional solution to a deeply rooted problem<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located in the heart of the Mission District, Everett has seen a surge in student homelessness over the past two years. Last year, the number of students experiencing homelessness nearly doubled from 55 to 102, making up 17.8% of the school\u2019s student body, according to data from the California Department of Education. School staff estimate that this year that number is likely to rise above 20%, since some families don\u2019t formally report their housing status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n