Are you struggling with housing in San Diego County? Here’s where to get help.

Across California, schools have reported a significant drop in the number of students identified as experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. 

But those “self-reported” student counts by school districts are drastically undercounting the number of homeless students, advocates say, resulting in fewer resources available to assist students now and in the future.

Read more about unhoused students during the pandemic in San Diego County here and find a list of resources for students and others needing housing assistance below. 

According to David Baker, youth systems director at the YMCA San Diego, data, such as that reported by the California Department  of Education, which shows a drastic drop in students experiencing homelessness, poses a threat if it isn’t contextualized properly. 

“We have to fight against this misinformation of youth homelessness decreasing because it affects our funding. And I’m talking about in a real way,” Baker said.

Baker spends much of his time educating the public, and even donors, on just how extensive the issue of youth homelessness really is. “They don’t realize that we’ve got thousands of homeless youth. It’s not 600,” Baker said. 

He and other homeless advocates are racing to secure increased funding — funding they need to do their jobs appropriately and address the growing number of youths in-need.