As the number of unhoused students in California’s public schools continues to rise to pre-pandemic levels, experts and educators fear that today’s economy paired with the state’s unrelenting housing crisis will lead to unprecedented rates of homeless youth.

According to updated data released yesterday by the California Department of Education, there are about 5.9 million students enrolled in public schools this school year, close to 40,000 fewer students than last year or a .7% drop. But the number of students experiencing homelessness increased by 9%, about 16,000 total.

The overarching cause of homelessness among all Californians is the perennial shortage of affordable housing in the state, according to Angela James, a researcher at UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools.

“It’s alarming to me, quite frankly,” James said. “Housing instability may be deepening in California as a result of the pandemic.”

The new data signals a return to pre-pandemic numbers. Last school year, about 2.9% of students qualified as homeless. The percentage is up to 3.2% this year, about the same as it was in 2019-20.

“As a state we have not made the housing and well-being of our population a priority,” James said. “Sadly, social policies have not been responsive to the needs of young people and their families.”

Experts struggle to explain why homeless numbers dropped during the pandemic. They said students and their families may have been moving around during the early months of quarantine, so they may not have been counted. Or unhoused students may have just been falling through the cracks.

“In some cases, districts could be getting better at identifying students,” said Dion Burns, a senior researcher at the Learning Policy Institute.

Student homelessness rose this year for the first time since 2020. The count includes students living in motels, trailer parks, campgrounds or public spaces.

While statewide numbers indicate a return to pre-pandemic levels, 13 of the 20 largest districts in the state have more students experiencing homelessness now than they did in the 2019-20 school year. At one district, Kern High, the number more than doubled.

Since 2015, rates of homelessness were rising gradually up until 2020, when they started dropping steadily. Student homelessness rose this year for the first time since 2020.

The California Department of Education uses a federal definition of homelessness that includes students living in motels, trailer parks, campgrounds or public spaces.

School districts and county offices of education employ liaisons who keep tabs on students and families experiencing homelessness. James said they’re often shorthanded, so collecting data may have been a challenge, especially during the chaos of 2020 and 2021.

At the Monarch School, a school for unhoused students operated by the San Diego County Office of Education, administrators have seen an increased need. Jesus Nunez, the communications director at the school, said students are experiencing more housing insecurity in recent years, along with more of the mental health challenges and traumas stemming from a lack of stable housing.

“If students’ basic needs aren’t being met, it doesn’t matter what teaching strategies are being used,” Nunez said.

The Monarch School serves about 300 students. The school day is longer, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. Nunez said the school offers more counseling and services like art therapy.

“I think everybody at the school wishes we could do more,” he said. “We don’t turn away a lot of students, but unfortunately some students do need to go back to their school of residence because there isn’t space available here.”

Many unhoused students and their families have been evicted from their homes, James said. She recalled her own personal trauma of having her family’s furniture moved out to their front lawn when they were evicted. With no home, students and their families might go from one temporary shelter to another with no sense of how long they can stay in one place.

“The degree to which that impacts a child cannot be underestimated,” James said.

She added that teachers are fortunately better prepared to work with these students than they were in past decades. When a student acts out or even gets violent, a teacher might try to calm the student instead of resorting to disciplinary actions like detentions or suspensions.

According to the state’s new data, the numbers of foster youth, students with disabilities and students from low-income households have all increased by between 2% and 3%.

The rate of decline for overall enrollment shows signs of stabilizing after plummeting in the first years of the pandemic. Kindergarten enrollment took the biggest hit, but is starting to climb back up. Enrollment went from about 71,000 in 2020-21 to about 130,000 this year, but state officials said it’s partly due to the state’s expansion of transitional kindergarten.

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Kristin Starkey
June 27, 1972 - March 29, 2023

Kristin Starkey, 50, passed away peacefully on March 29 in Redding, following a seven-month struggle with heart complications and stroke. She faced her struggle bravely, and even up until the end, she remained the sweet, kind person that everyone knew her to be.

Kristin was a proud member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and was affiliated by blood with several other California tribes, as well as tribes in the Dakotas and Minnesota. She was born and raised on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, where she graduated from high school, and worked at various tribal entities. More recently, she achieved her bachelor’s of science degree in psychology from Liberty College, and was planning on pursuing further education.

Kristin enjoyed spending time with her family and traveling, especially to the Redwoods and Oregon coast. She had a lifelong love of animals and kept pets over the years. Kristin also embraced technology — she was very tech-savvy and was active on social media. She was always very friendly, kept a good sense of humor, and had a smile for everyone. She made friends very easily, and was the kind of person who was fun to be around.

Another important aspect of Kristin’s life was her faith. She was a born-again Christian and was active in her church. She was a blessing to her church family, whom she deeply cherished.

She is survived by her parents, Frank and Karen Starkey; her twin sister Carrie Amankwah (Francis); her sister Debra Starkey (Robert Cox); and her nieces Alexis Jeska and Mazie Cox. She was preceded in death by her brother Frank Starkey, Jr., with whom she is joyfully reunited.

Kristin was an important part of our family, to whom her life brought endless joy, laughter, and love. Even in our devastation in losing her, our entire family remembers to feel grateful that we were blessed to have her in our lives, and she will be remembered most lovingly and dearly.

The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks for all the countless prayers, words of encouragement and support expressed to Kristin and the entire family.

A special thank you to all the surgeons and staff at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, and the nursing and technical staff at Vibra Hospital in Redding for their care of Kristin, and for allowing us a little more precious time with her.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Paul’s Chapel in Arcata. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 15, 2023, at the First Baptist Church in Hoopa (Loop Road) at 1 p.m., Pastor Guy Ziegenbein officiating.

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Local officials and community leaders have spent the last decade looking for creative ways to address challenges associated with Humboldt County’s homeless population. The latest proposition, dubbed the Humboldt Navigation Center, would serve as a one-stop shop, offering access to shelter, affordable housing options, public health benefits, job training and mental health support, all conveniently located under one roof.

Speaking during today’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting, Hannah Ozanian, a homeless services consultant with the county Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), said the Humboldt Navigation Center is modeled after Friendship Park at Loaves & Fishes, a day center for adults experiencing homelessness in Sacramento. 

“While I served as the director [of Friendship Park], we moved from one space at one end of our campus to a completely new center that was designed with all of our services in mind,” Ozanian said. “It was quite an opportunity for me to learn and I’m very grateful to be here to bring some of what I learned by trial and error to our community. [Friendship Park] served a much larger population, and an urban population, but nonetheless the services that we’re hoping to provide for our neighbors living outside are similar.”

The facility, which would be located at the corner of West Third and Commercial Streets in Eureka, would provide overnight shelter for Humboldt County residents experiencing homelessness, including temporary non-congregate shelter for approximately 15 individuals. During the day, the facility would provide a safe place for people to stay with access to storage lockers, a pet kennel, showers, restrooms, community classrooms, a computer lab, laundry assistance and a clothing closet. Social workers, mental health clinicians and substance use disorder (SUD) counselors would be available on-site as well.

DHHS Director Connie Beck noted that the project proposal has been in the works for several years.

“County staff and city staff have worked together for over 10 years … to come up with solutions around our houseless population in Humboldt County,” Beck said. “Several years ago, it was identified that if we had a place like a day center – somewhere people could be that was safe during the day – that would be one solution to multiple problems that we see with our [houseless] population. … [This] is right across the street from the [St. Vincent de Paul’s] dining facility, so all the folks would already be there.”

Speaking during public comment, Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery said the navigational center will “be a huge benefit to the community.” 

“I’ve been at the city for 17 years and this has been something that’s been desired by our business community, as well as our overall community, ever since then,” he said. “I think that we’ve done a really good job and really appreciate the support of DHHS and all they’ve done to make this a reality. … I really look forward to supporting this and making sure that this happens sooner than later.”

Staff did not provide a timeline for the project during Tuesday’s meeting. The county is currently negotiating the lease of the site with the property owner Mercer Fraiser.

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn expressed his support for the project and noted that the Betty Kwan Chinn Homeless Foundation and the Humboldt Coalition for Property Rights, or HumCPR, hosted a shipping container complex at the same site a few years ago. 

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell voiced her support for the navigational center, emphasizing the importance of “giv[ing] people an opportunity to help themselves.”

“I think that’s critical,” she said. “I know that the Southern Humboldt area would really benefit from something like this. … There [are] groups working towards this goal in almost every community in Humboldt County. I just am really excited that this is coming forward … but it can’t come fast enough.”

Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Steve Madrone thanked the City of Eureka for partnering with the county to bring the project forward. “We couldn’t do it without you,” he said. “Thank you for persevering and moving forward with this.”

Bushnell made a motion to approve staff’s recommendation and accept the report. Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson offered a second and the motion passed in a unanimous 4-0 vote, with Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo absent.

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HUMBOLDT TODAY: As they do, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force uncovered a trove of narcotics and weapons; the Eureka City Council will consider the future of the waterfront; plus, details on California’s successful disaster declaration and other stories in today’s newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.

FURTHER READING: 

• Eureka Government’s Two Biggest Hot-Button Issues – Housing Development and Parking – Will be Discussed in Great Detail at Tonight’s City Council Meeting
• Huge Drug/Gun Bust on Eureka’s McCullens Avenue, Says Drug Task Force

HUMBOLDT TODAY can be viewed on LoCO’s homepage each night starting at 6 p.m.

Want to LISTEN to HUMBOLDT TODAY? Subscribe to the podcast version here.

Press release from the K’ima:w Medical Center:

The Hoopa Valley Tribe’s healthcare entity, K’ima:w Medical Center, has been awarded $2 Million for Clinic expansion and modernization. This award was part of the Indian Health Service total funding of $24 million to 12 tribes and tribal organizations across the nation as part of a competitive Small Ambulatory Program to fund construction, expansion or modernization of small ambulatory health care facilities.

When notified of the award, HVT Chairman Joe Davis said, “The health of our people has always been a priority of the utmost importance to the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Being able to expand our medical center will expand our ability to serve the health needs of our community. We are thankful to IHS and the leadership and staff at K’ima:w Medical Center who made this happen.”

K’ima:w Medical Center, formerly known as Hoopa Health Association, provides health services to the greater Hoopa Valley and has been in operation since 1974. The last major construction of clinical space occurred over 25 years ago. The Project Plan scope for the grant award will be augmented with additional funding to develop a roughly 10,000 square-foot addition to the north side of the existing clinic. The vision is to develop an expanded Pharmacy with drive-up window, add additional provider rooms, expand diabetes and physical therapy services, and provide for a large meeting and training area.

K’ima:w Medical Center Board of Directors Chairman Angela Jarnaghan said, “I am excited to be part of this amazing funding opportunity for our medical center. The pandemic redirected our focus to seek opportunities to expand and revamp. One of our main goals is to facilitate our community’s health care needs in a technologically efficient setting. This has been a long-time goal of KMC’s and we are ecstatic to see it begin.”

Updating and increasing the size of the existing clinic fits into the long-term plans and goals for the K’imaw Medical Center. The newly operational Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program location adjacent to the Clinic is currently undergoing construction upgrades for new parking lots, sidewalks, and other additions.

The Domestic Violence/MMIP Programs are preparing to move into a new office modular to offer expanded services. Grant funding has been obtained for a Mobile Medical Vehicle that should arrive in a few months to help deliver direct services to the community.

California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round Three funding award of $4.1 million recently received by K’ima:w Medical Center will fund a new Behavioral Health building.

Moreover, the Indian Health Service Quarters Program award of $5 million, a first-time award to any IHS compacted tribe, will allow for construction of housing for health providers. The $2 million small ambulatory program grant award for the clinic expansion will provide a final component for establishing quality and expanded health care for the Hoopa Valley for many decades to come.

Dr. Stephen Stake, CEO, shared, “I’m very thankful for the team leaders we have to move forward on much-needed projects for our community. We trust the efforts by many will yield a lot of fruit here in the valley and the ongoing projects will create an optimal campus for exceptional health services, facilitating patient health and healing.”

HVT Councilmember Jordan Hailey serves as a council liaison to KMC. He said, “Receiving this award is huge for our People and our community. It’s been over 25 years since any addition to the clinic has been done. And, in that 25 years our population has grown exponentially and so has the need for healthcare. Being able to expand and better K’ima:w Medical Center’s services will be a great step in continuing to provide much needed healthcare and a variety of services for the many needs of our patients here in the Valley.

HVT Councilmember Jill Sherman-Warne added, “As one of the only medical facilities in eastern Humboldt County, federal funds are critical to expanding and modernizing K’ima:w to increase patient services to meet goals in addressing diabetes, addiction, and physical therapy within our community.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On April 2, 2023, at about 5 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Brenard Road in Loleta for the report of an assault with a vehicle.

Robinson.

Deputies contacted two adult victims, a male and a female, one of which reported minor to moderate injuries as a result of the assault. The victims told deputies that the suspect, 20-year-old Billy Joe Robinson Jr., was in a dating relationship with the female victim. The female victim and Robinson were reportedly involved in an altercation earlier that evening at a nearby residence. The two victims left the residence in a vehicle and while attempting to leave, Robinson reportedly blocked the roadway by performing “donuts” with his vehicle. The victims exited their vehicle in an attempt to speak with Robinson. At this point, Robinson reportedly struck the victims with his vehicle then fled the area.

Robinson was located by Fortuna Police Department officers in the area of  9th and J streets in Fortuna and was arrested without incident.

Robinson was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of hit and run with injury (VC 20001(a)), assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm (PC 245(a)(1)) and battery against a spouse (PC 243(e)(1)).

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

Press release from the Humboldt Del-Norte Film Commission:

On June 2nd and 3rd of 2023, the Humboldt Del Norte Film Commission will be hosting the 1st Annual Forest Moon Festival, sponsored by Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Star Wars Fans, this is the summer event you are looking for.  It will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars film that featured Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as the forest moon of Endor, the final battleground between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire.  

The Forest Moon Festival will span across the two counties. Businesses, pop-ups, community partners, and existing events are invited to theme-out in Star Wars fashion and offer activities for the whole family to enjoy. The Film Commission is working with stellar community partners to bring free screenings of Return of the Jedi to various locations throughout the region. As the date gets closer, a map and schedule of events will be released to the public so festival attendees will be able to see all the exciting activities that are happening across the redwood region including Lucasfilm approved costumers (Rebels, Storm Troopers, and more) appearances. 

The festival’s concept was created over a decade ago as an enhancement to the existing “Map of the Movies” (a free self-guided tour featuring projects that have filmed in both Humboldt & Del Norte Counties and can be found on their website and app stores). “We were trying to expand our film tourism strategy since film tourism can boost local economies more than actual filming at times, when we thought of someday launching a festival like this,” stated the Film Commissioner, Cassandra Hesseltine. Today, Hesseltine says it’s more than that for the Film Commission. “Now, it’s more our way of giving back to the region by creating community pride through a celebration that will be enjoyed by all ages.”

Fall of 2019, the Film Commission and community partners had begun brainstorming a possible event, but the pandemic shelved the idea. In 2022, after the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation and the City of Eureka inquired about a collaboration with the film commission for a May the 4th event, they knew it was time to resurrect the festival. “We thought this was the first baby-step on our way to something bigger,” Hesseltine commented, “It was a very successful and entertaining experience, so we decided to go for the full-fledged event finally for the 40th anniversary this year. Though, since this is the first time going so big, it feels more like our dress rehearsal as we get buy-in from the community and focus on promoting more locally.” 

As the festival grows, the Film Commission anticipates more out-of-town film tourists attending the event.  Because of this, the Film Commission picked the first weekend of June for the festival since it wouldn’t compete with other out of town May the 4th events, hotels availability, and warmer weather for outside activities.  Tiffany Miller Designs has been contracted to help produce the weekend due to her and her team’s in-depth experience in Hollywood and event coordinating.

For more information on this event (including map and schedule of events, to be released later) you can visit the website www.forestmoonfestival.org.  Any business that wishes to participate should visit and follow the directions on the vendor page of the website to be included in the promotional material. Be sure to follow the Forest Moon Festival Facebook page and Instagram @forestmoonfestival to get all the latest updates and announcements.