Ooof. This one hit me. At my high school, I seriously wonder now how many students were homeless. One person, my friend to this day, had mentioned to me that she was homeless and was basically relying on the school counselor because her mom was unstable. When she had me proof read her college essay senior year.... I nearly cried. To know that my friend was forced to sleep under park jungle gyms and in peoples' garages was heartbreaking. She went on to get a degree in chemistry and is now working for a pharmaceutical company doing cancer research. I am constantly inspired by her success. People who make it out of this, if they can keep moving forward from it, they will be some of the strongest, most admirable people in the world. If anyone reading this is homeless, know that there is always hope for you, and you can make it out and prosper. I'm sorry your life isn't easy right now, but you can find security someday.

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks so much for sharing this inspiring story. We felt that same way after meeting Dante -- he made it through an incredibly tough experience and came out the other side even stronger. But he also is trying to give back so that other kids going through this know that they are not alone, and that there is support out there if you know where to look and who you can trust with your story. We hope this video helps spread that message! Thanks for watching and commenting.

I'm a student, workin 2 jobs, and living in my tiny car right now. I feel no shame about it, mainly be because I'm doing all that i can and it keeps me motivated to rise above my situation. I never knew where to seek help (because an apartment on my own is too expensive, and none of my friends were willing to let me stay with them), but now i know to check out those institutions and see if i can get some help. Thank you :)

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Hi Santana. Thanks for your comment! Getting housing help can be really difficult to navigate, so it makes sense you wouldn't know where to seek help. I obviously don't know where you live or your age, but if you're in the US and between the ages of 16 and 22, you could check out the Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/619. They may be able to help you find housing. Good luck!

I know a student at SJSU college who was living in a van taking showers at the 24hour fitness and getting mail from a PO box. working nights 3-5 days a week. He was from Susanville ca but he got a partial college scholarship and was leaning materials engineering. oftern times his books werent covered so he just aced the quizes and tests. smart guy i hope he's doing well.

@AboveTheNoise

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this. We learned that it's definitely common for students to balance the challenges of being homeless with staying in school...not an easy path, but in Dante's case he felt it eventually made him stronger.

Hey folks. We caught a typo in the version of this video we uploaded earlier today. The word "identify" at about 3:53 into the video was misspelled. So, we made that video "unlisted" and uploaded this new version with the corrected spelling. So, if you posted a comment earlier and now don't see it, that is why. Apologies if that caused some confusion!

Having taught Special Education classes at the high school level in Michigan, I can tell you the data for student homelessness is under inflated. Students today are much more socially connected than when I grew up. They need to be. Look at the students who depend on meals at school, or showers, or clothing. Look at bus drivers who know which stops students get on and off. Look at the truancy data. Couch surfing is a basic tool for living. Teachers just barely care about homework at that level....so many kids have their hands full with simple survival. Thanks for doing this piece.

Thanks for featuring! If you're watching this and find yourself withdrawing or thinking of reasons why you shouldn't care -- ask yourself why? People can become homeless for many reasons. We have to get beyond the stigma of homelessness to understand and help address the real issues in our communities. I was homeless for a short time while I was a student, and it helps me be a better listener when it comes to other people's stories. While I was a student at UC Berkeley and working two jobs, I got an offer from a friend for a super sweet low rent deal. I'd sublet from them because they moved in with their boyfriend but had a nice place they didn't want to "lose" in a rent protected location. It was awesome for about 3 months! ...But I didn't have any contract and wasn't actually on the books. Unfortunately, my friend broke up with the boyfriend and suddenly, in the middle of the semester, I no longer had a place to live, and I didn't really have room in my budget to afford any of the housing that was available at that time. (And with two jobs and school work, I didn't really have time to deal either). I didn't have a huge safety net to fall back on, but my Dad let me borrow his van for a few weeks, which I lived out of and just used the gym at school to shower at. Then, my friend let me set up a bed in her apartment's hallway, and I lived there for the rest of the semester. Very few people knew about my situation -- I was totally ashamed of it, especially since it highlighted that I didn't have much money and I was different from the other students. I just wanted to keep my head down and fit in. In places like the Bay Area, even if they are working hard every day, sometimes folks are just barely living paycheck to paycheck, so they don't have room in their budget for the first and last month's rent to get a new place if they suddenly lose their old place. A lot of the narrative in tv and movies is that people become homeless due to terrible life decisions or mental illness -- but sometimes, it's more a factor of having an extremely tight budget and not having a social safety net of people that can let you sleep at their house or loan you money when the unexpected happens. Just remember -- this kind of scenario is pretty common. If you're a renter, you know that sometimes things just happen that are out of your control. Many people are lucky enough to have friends and family that can either give them a place to stay, or loan them money while they figure something out -- or have the ability to put it all on a credit card and deal with it later. Know that no matter how hard working or wonderful someone is, that's not always an option for all people living in America. People often will do everything they possibly can before they are actually on the streets, so you might not see them, but know they are there.

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your story and perspective, Monica. We are really hoping to bring more awareness to this issue and hopefully help with the stigma associated with being homeless.

@R0AHN

7 жыл бұрын

I'm glad to see you all doing a video on this topic. I used to work for a local chapter of the federal Title I program which was there specifically to help our homeless student population. Depending on which school in our city district you went to, our actual student homeless population was anywhere between 5% to a staggering 10% at the high school level. It's been a few years since I've been in the loop but those numbers had held steady for the three years or so I was there. Not all those who qualified showed up in the "reported" numbers the school board saw and patted themselves on the back for. The hardest thing for me, working in that program, was seeing kids drop off the radar entirely. Due to budget cuts at the federal level we only had the funding to keep in touch with two to three dozen students at one time and host an afterschool program two times a week. There were a handful that stuck through until graduation but most either stopped coming to the program or stopped attending completely. To this day I don't know what happened to those that dropped out.

how does this Channel NOT have a million subs.

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

YourAverageTuber great question! We launched in March, so we're still new but please help spread the word about the channel!

If you do a follow-up video on this, I'd like to see more discussion on that kind of 'soft' homelessness. I know that when I was growing up I was "between places" at several points in time, sometimes for months, but never considered myself actually homeless, only staying with various friends and family for periods of time. I certainly successfully did avoid talking about it though, and giving weak explanations to friends that asked and not talking about it to anyone who didn't. I had no idea that there was any kind of homeless liaison at my schools, or that my embarrassing family situation could actually be considered as homelessness.

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your suggestion! "Soft homelessness" is a great way to describe the in-betweeness that many homeless students go through. And thanks for sharing your personal story.

@mattjohnston2

7 жыл бұрын

I've had the same experience growing up, and felt the same as you. I never once considered myself homeless...

@chelseashurmantine8153

7 жыл бұрын

I didn't know about the homeless liaisons either. Maybe they were just under the umbrella of school councelors?

@Dyl_Cam

6 жыл бұрын

Wish I had some friends when I was homeless. I slept in hospitals, and wherever else I could find. Glad I'm out of that.

@GorgieClarissa

6 ай бұрын

i know your comment is from 6 years ago... but it took me many years after experiencing homelessness in high school to actually recognize and admit that i was homeless in high school. nobody wants to talk about it and others often dismiss it... "oh you lived in someone's house for 2 weeks before you moved to someone else's house for 2 months - you had a roof over your head, you weren't homeless." except that's not true... at all... it makes me sad. i was so embarrassed as a student in high school and my guiandance couselor knew and would help arrange rides to school for me... but i also didn't know there was any kind of liason.

Hi Above The Noise. It's me again. This video is amazing. I like the way you guys made it like a documentary. You still made the animations which was a good idea. From your subscriber, Diecani

Thanks for highlighting this category of Homeless, "Homeless students." I like that you listed the names of those institutions so that anyone who needs help can benefit from them. I wish it was possible to find radical solutions to this problem so that no one would have to go through this harsh experience.

@AboveTheNoise

2 жыл бұрын

We do, too. It's a deep and multi-layered issue, for sure. Thanks for watching!

andddddd a new subscriber. This channel is very informative great job guys!

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Clarissa Davila thanks for subscribing! We hope you enjoy the channel!

Reportage on homeless people, for homeless people, is hard to find. Thank you!

Great video. It really makes you look differently at homeless people

I was homeless all through middle school. I was lucky enough to only have to sleep in a tent for two months but my family couch hopped for over two years. Most of the time my two siblings and I slept on the floor or in one bed. We went hungry a lot, I tried to make sure my siblings had food before I did because I was the oldest. It's been a few years now but it was really hard for a long time.

@AboveTheNoise

Жыл бұрын

That sounds like such a tough experience for you and your family. Thank you for watching this and sharing what you went through.

My school doesn't do anything for my and my little brother who will be a junior. I reached out my freshmen year for free bus passes when we were living in hotels and didn't have any transportation. The hotels got way too expensive so my friend let me stay with her family. And that was enough for the school to deny the bus passes to me. I'm a senior now with no hope for the future and extreme anxiety. I honestly don't know if i have what it takes to graduate and came across this video looking for answers or at least advice or a new comping skill. Seeing my mom srugle is what tears me apart most and i can't help but think how I'll be even less successful than she is. Hustling is fucking real and my food is payed with drug money. I wish i was more involved with life but I've never felt so lost. This video helped me feel less alone and extremely relieved that this side of homelessness is being told. I still have no hope in our school system tho and i don't think I'm ready for a life past school. Especially with anxiety of not making it. I try hard but everything inculding the homework gets so overwhelmingly but you have to be strong for your family and little brother whos in the same boat as you. I just really want him to graduate and I'll put in as much effort as i can even if that means not focusing on my own future.

@AboveTheNoise

5 жыл бұрын

Anna Garcia thank you for watching and sharing your story. I’m glad you got something from the video, and I hope you can find the support you and your family need and deserve. Stay strong sister, and reach out to us if you want to stay in touch. You are holding a LOT.

@annagarcia5094

5 жыл бұрын

@@AboveTheNoise thank you so much for the support and this is a real situation for many kids and are even worse for most. This video is our voice from the social class of schools that keep us locked to ourselves from others. God bless and thank you

@debradianni1282

5 жыл бұрын

If your McKinney-Vento liaison denied your transportation request, you can take that denial to the state level and ask for it to be looked into. Every state has a McKinney-Vento coordinator. Look on your states department of education web page.

@ace5

4 жыл бұрын

I don't know if this is helpful, but if you are struggling with the school program there is a great website called khan academy which might help you. I recommend it to everyone, it does a really good of explaining everything. Good luck!

Thank you Above the Noise for covering this topic that is very critical to society and the future if we want to make any positive change. Homelessness is a crisis that is bigger than a single country but is manifest all over the world. My name is Siya Hlongwa a master’s student at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and I have studied the topic of student homelessness in my country with a focus on its manifestation in the university context. I studied most of my academic career homeless with nowhere to live. Follow this link to understand the nature of the study which is in the process of publication on various platforms as well. www.researchgate.net/project/Student-Homelessness-the-Study-of-its-Causalities-and-Manifestations-in-the-University

@AboveTheNoise

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing your experience - and your research! It's inspiring for us to see that we can make a connection with someone like you halfway across the world who cares about the same issues we do.

@siyarchitect

4 жыл бұрын

Above The Noise I actually made reference to your video and the content in my thesis.

Great informative video.

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Hi, I'm doing article about this topic for my school newspaper and I'm wondering what kind of sources I should be looking for to ask questions about it.

@AboveTheNoise

6 жыл бұрын

Hi there. Great question. I think a good place to start would be where you live, in your own community. If you go to a public school, find out who the homeless liaison is. They'd be a good person to ask questions. Also, your city/town might have a governmental department that deals with homelessness. You can contact them. Let me us know how your interviews go!

just go to mexico, study engineering overthere and then come back and work in the US. I see engineers who went to indian schools and are here working without a problem. the math and science is the same world wide. the laws of physics are the same. i personally know someone who did 75% of engineering school in Hermosillo, Sonora, and then came back to the US to finish the other 25% at cal state.

Hey, I was sitting next to u guys at the Marriott hotel on the last day of vidcon and heard you guys talking about this episode. I liked it a lot and if u see this hello to the one who gave me your card, I think miles was your name

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Chris Gainey that's so cool that you watched the video! Glad you liked it, and hope you subscribe to our channel! And yeah, Myles was the one you met at VidCon!

I liked the video

@AboveTheNoise

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks DiamondkingTH! Glad you liked it.

😭🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

@AboveTheNoise

5 жыл бұрын

Isa Heinani thank you for watching!

Why is the homeless thing getting bigger and bigger

@AboveTheNoise

2 жыл бұрын

Income inequality and inflation keeps growing. That tends to raise prices on housing and limits affordable options for more and more people in many parts of the country. Lower wage earners are especially vulnerable. If they lose a job, or get evicted, or even go through a divorce or death in the family that impacts household income, they can easily find themselves without housing. There’s lots of that happening here in the Bay Area.

Currently laying down in my car about to sleep. Got class tomorrow at 10am. About to kill it this quarter. No excuses.

@AboveTheNoise

5 жыл бұрын

That sounds tough. It's inspiring that you keep going and are doing well at school despite this challenge. But it still seems to us that students shouldn't have to experience homelessness -- we are a wealthy country.

Oh look it's me

the media talks about homeless ppl as if they're zombies lol