In Houston, a young girl named Mackenzie Holmes has experienced an unsettling childhood marked by constant relocation. Over the past decade, she has moved from one shelter to another, living in various homes, apartments, and motels, often with her grandmother, Crystal Holmes. It began with her grandmother’s home, but after losing her job with Southwest Airlines, they faced evictions and instability, frequently needing to sleep on floors or inflatable mattresses. Their recent stay in a women’s shelter finally provides some stability.
Each move forced Mackenzie to adapt to new schools, classmates, and curricula. Due to these disruptions, she struggled academically and socially, and her dyslexia went undiagnosed until recently. The frequent transitions have left her with only one long-term friend, and she has missed substantial amounts of school.
An analysis from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, published in the Sociology of Education journal, highlights the impact of eviction on schoolchildren. Students in homes with eviction filings in the Houston Independent School District, where Mackenzie began her education, were found to be absent more frequently and, even without changing schools, missed four additional school days in a year compared to peers. From 2002 to 2016, more than 18,000 instances of students living in eviction-threatened homes were identified, affecting 13,197 children, a quarter of whom faced recurring evictions.
Recent data suggests eviction rates in Houston are worsening, affecting children similar to Mackenzie, including students like Neveah Barahona. Neveah, aged 17, has changed schools six times since she began kindergarten due to her family’s financial struggles. Her mother, Roxanne Abarca, understands the disruption moving can cause, so she attempts to allow them to finish school years whenever possible, sometimes leading to long commutes.
Research indicates households with children face eviction more frequently than those without, impacting about 1.5 million children annually. Despite the conversation predominantly focusing on adult landlords and tenants, children are significantly affected, as pointed out by Peter Hepburn of the Eviction Lab. He remarks that 40% of those at risk for eviction are underage.
The federal law designed to assist homeless students proposes districts should maintain school continuity and provide transportation. However, these protocols do not apply to all evicted children, and even for those who qualify, inconsistencies in execution can lead to educational disruptions when schools are unaware of the families’ circumstances.
Navigating through Houston’s sprawling districts poses additional challenges for transient families, with overlapping boundaries potentially causing school changes. Mackenzie’s grandmother, Crystal Holmes, faced this while moving between areas. She was compelled to relocate to a women’s shelter, inadvertently changing Mackenzie’s school district.
Fortunately, federal provisions allowed Mackenzie to continue attending Thornwood Elementary, despite residing in a different district. Her school now provides transportation from the shelter, and Mackenzie can pursue her education more consistently.
Other families, like Millicent Brown and her daughter Nova, confront similar challenges. Nova had to switch schools when their circumstances forced them out of their home due to domestic threats. Initially enrolled in a charter school, transportation issues led her to miss a month of schooling before joining a nearby public institution.
In another instance, Neveah’s family found temporary relief when a nonprofit helped them manage rent arrears after receiving eviction notices. Despite this aid, they continue to face uncertainty as their landlord considers selling their home. The constant threat of eviction looms over families like Neveah’s, questioning the permanence of what they once hoped would be their “forever home.”