Walking around the streets of Ventura on any given day, at any given time, it is likely that you will come across a homeless individual. Usually they are adults, but there is a more hidden homeless population walking the halls of our campuses.

There are approximately 202,329 homeless students in the California school system according to a 2017 report from Edsource.org.

At Ventura High School alone, some 30 percent of students are homeless or are in a situation of low socioeconomic status, according to Principal Carlos Cohen. So how does our school address these situations and aid those in need?

First, students without stable living environments must be identified. In an interview, VHS Principal Carlos Cohen said that the students first must be identified: “Sometimes homeless students are identified through case workers or other educators at another school… so if they are coming from a middle school, the counselors at that school will let us know that this student is homeless.”

Cohen added that oftentimes police, child protective services, or other city and state programs will help to identify these students. Once these students are identified, their specific needs are assessed by the Ventura Unified School District homeless liaison.

Information about where the student is staying, how long they have been homeless, and what specific needs they have is found out in order to give them the best help possible.

Students may be living in cars, motels, friends’ houses or on the streets. “We make it a point to find those [homeless] students that are in those kinds of conditions,” stated Cohen, “Whether they are homeless or low socioeconomic status or if they live in a house … we work with city organizations to make sure these students and their families have a place to be.”

(Listen to an interview with Carlos Cohen by clicking the link below.)

TL-Cohen interview

At VHS, school counselors and administration are aware of and working to support the emotional and health-related needs of its homeless students, as well as helping to find them a place to stay.

VHS tries to makes sure that these students are healthy, have all necessary school supplies, and receive meals that may be needed. In addition, administration ensures that these students are enrolled in the classes that they require in order to graduate.

Recently, a new program has been added to our school: the Student Assistance Program (SAP) counselor for added aid and counseling.

Cohen explained the importance of understanding the situations of others: “I think it’s important that all of us are always looking out for each other, that we always understand that we can’t judge a book by its cover… we should always be mindful and respectful of our fellow students and our fellow teachers and people in the community…”