An alarming increase in the number of homeless children attending public school nationwide is being seen in San Diego as well.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Education, more than one million homeless children are enrolled in public schools.
One homeless mother told NBC 7 that she now lives at Saint Vincent de Paul after losing her job two years ago. Her two children attend the Monarch School in Barrio Logan.
The largest populations of homeless children are in California, New York, Texas, and Florida, according to the report.
Locally, the numbers are also up, from 3,000 homeless students last year to more than 5,000 this year, according to the San Diego Unified School District. Countywide, there are more than 18,000 homeless children attending public schools.
“The really interesting thing we've seen anecdotally is the increase in the number of young families and younger children coming,” said Monarch’s CEO Erin Spiewak. “We're impacted in kindergarten, first grade and second grade classes.”
“Rents are sky high, and it is leaving us poor people in the dust," the mother said. "Every year, we got more and more people homeless, and it's sad.”
