ROCHESTER, N.Y. — What does youth homelessness look like? Is it someone carrying their lives in garbage bags, panhandling for money or sleeping on a park bench? Those narratives distract from a far more unsettling truth: Homelessness can happen to anyone.

The New York State Comptroller’s Office reports homelessness has grown sharply, doubling between January 2022-24. So what is being done to help? 

What You Need To Know

According to the New York State Comptroller’s Office, homelessness in New York state has grown sharply, more than doubling between Jan. 2022 and Jan. 2024

A growing number of homelessness found in the U.S. are children and teenagers. According to Annie E. Casey Foundation, one in 10 kids will face homelessness, representing nearly four million young adults facing these hidden situations

However the district’s data may not be accurate, which poses another challenge. With parents not reporting being homeless due to being unaware of the situation they are in (couch hopping, living in hotels, etc.), also fear of losing services or child protection services getting involved

“We were placed in a hotel for 15 days,” resident Qutisha Britt said. “That was the worst experience ever to have a 7-year-old daughter. And you have to figure out where we’re going to stay, and all the places we can go is a hotel room.”

According to the nonprofit Advocates for the Children of New York, for the 10th year in a row, more than 100,000 students experienced homelessness during the 2024–25 school year.

“Shelters are packed,” Britt said. “The places that we can go if we have kids. A lot of people like myself don’t want to put ourselves or our children in those situations to have to go from a hotel, homeless shelter. I’m not OK with this stuff that they have lined up and set up to help families that they think are helping our families.”

It’s leaving families and youth to suffer in silence, like Britt and her daughter. 

“The bathroom toilet is about to fall to the floor. It’s leaning over,” Britt said. “The bees. I have a bee infestation in the house. I am allergic to bees, as the weather gets nicer the condition is only going to worsen. My health has started to become affected by breathing in mold. Fines and violations are nothing when you have to be forced to stay here because the rent is uncontrollable. Here in Rochester, the housing rate for homeless people is so, so bad.”

Living in limbo for several months, Britt is now in a legal battle with her landlord. 

“Me and my child are about to be displaced again, because she wants to keep thinking it’s OK to play games when it comes down to fixing this house,” Britt said. “It is not fair to me or the next person that will have to move in and re-live this. I’m over it.” 

It’s leaving officials like Rochester City School Board’s youngest commissioner of education, Isaiah Santiago, working to change the landscape of homelessness.

“Those things can be fixed and better,” Isaiah Santiago said. “But the school district has responsibilities when it comes to young people who are homeless. But I do see a lack of services for our 18 and up, young people. One of the things that we have to follow is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which is required by the federal government to give services to our young people, for both transportation, for stability of schools, and also for services as far as food and things of that sort in the RCSD, there should be, homeless liaison in every school. And they’re there to support the students that are reported as homeless.”

Santiago has experienced firsthand the disruption this has had within his education and his personal life.

“Throughout my childhood, I dealt with homelessness,” Santiago said. “I lost my house to home fire. My mother, when my three little sisters and I were struggling to find the services. And even to this day, my mother and my sisters are currently dealing with, homelessness again. And my grandma was also at this time due to slumlords. It was extremely difficult for me during the pandemic. When I was homeless at 18 years old, running for office, it was extremely difficult to focus on college, to even make it to college.”

With a new generation already experiencing poverty, Santiago says this crisis has become a collective responsibility.

“Looking at the enriched history of our systems, and being able to take accountability for what has been done wrong, make those changes,” Santiago said. “Homelessness isn’t only affecting our children, and our parents, but the homelessness is affecting attendance here in the Rochester School District, which is affecting their student outcomes. Which is why I ran for school board and I sat on the school board, but also why I’m advocating more than just a school board with our municipalities, also statewide to advocate for changes, in homelessness for our young people.”

Santiago recently conducted a study focusing on youth homelessness specifically within Rochester. With over 1,000 students every year facing housing instability since 2023, and, as of today over 500 students have reported being homeless since last year. 

However, the district’s data may not be accurate, which shows another true challenge. With parents not reporting being homeless due to being unaware of the situation they are in (couch hopping, living in hotels), also fear of losing services or child protection services getting involved. Despite them not reporting being homeless, the impact of housing instability on a child’s education still remains.