密歇根新闻广播 疫情加剧无家可归学生的压力

 

How the pandemic exacerbates¹ pressures on students experiencing homelessness

The pandemic is putting more families at risk for homelessness as financial pressure builds and eviction² moratoriums³ end. Michigan already has the sixth highest rate of homeless students in the country, and many of those children rely on the consistency⁴ of walking into a physical building five days a week. Stateside talked to Jennifer Erb-Downward, a senior research associate with Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, about how schools can help students experiencing homelessness, even as classes move online.

According to Downward's research, about one out of every twelve Michigan fifth graders experienced homelessness at some point during elementary school. Because of the pandemic, those kids are now cut off from their normal sources of support.

“[Homeless] youth also don’t have access to schools, they don’t have access to drop-in centers, to libraries. All of the places where there may have been adults that were helping⁵ in some way to provide a point of connection, to provide support and resources, they are missing right now,” Erb-Downward said.

Homelessness is defined for students under the federal McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act as a home situation that lacks adequate, fixed⁶, and regular nighttime residence. Schools are federally mandated⁷ to provide support that helps students exepriencing homelessness have equal access to education. This includes the right to immediate⁸ enrollment¹⁰, transportation, and after school programs. Schools also provide other supports for struggling families.

“Schools are where many students receive their meals. Sometimes breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. And if schools are not open, how are we getting those supplies, how are we getting those resources to kids?” Erb-Downward asked.

If schools choose to begin or transition the school year to remote learning, Erb-Downward says they need to think about how they will reach those students experiencing housing instability. For example, providing laptops that have built-in Wi-Fi access rather than assuming students will be able to access the internet at home.

“I think when we’re talking about homelessness and housing instability, and thinking about what the needs are of children who are highly mobile, we need to be making sure that if we are talking about remote learning, if we are talking about providing Wi-Fi and laptops, that that Wi-Fi is something that moves with the laptop, that moves with the child,” Erb-Downward explained.

Schools should act as information hubs for not only their students, but also families. Erb-Downward says it is imperative¹¹ that schools help disperse¹² information about government assistance to families who might be at risk of eviction or facing other financial challenges.

Michigan has set aside $50 million for rental¹³ assistance through their eviction diversion program to help households who have less than the median area income avoid eviction. Erb-Downward says there are many families who have still not received the federal stimulus¹⁴ check because they do not have a bank account or because they have a yearly household income of less than $24,000, and so were never required to file income taxes. The Center for Poverty Solutions has an explainer on how those with low or no income can access the $1,200 stimulus check here.

“So one thing I would strongly advocate for is for all school districts, as they are working to enroll⁹ students, whether they are going remotely or in-person, that this information is shared with families because there are going to be so many more families who are at risk of losing their home,” Erb-Downward said. "And the educational consequences, the health consequences, of not having a stable place to live for a child are huge.”

1 exacerbates   

n.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的名词复数 )v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Stripping the land in these ways allows faster surface runoff and exacerbates flooding. 这些做法终将使土地裸露、地表径流加快，从而加重了洪水的威胁。 来自辞典例句
• This policy exacerbates the gap between rich and poor. 这项政策加剧了贫富差距。 来自互联网

2 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

3 moratoriums   

正式的延缓，暂停( moratorium的名词复数 )

参考例句：

4 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

10 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

11 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

12 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

13 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

14 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。