Same Storm, Different Boat: Student Homelessness & Natural Disaster

Abstract Due to climate change, natural disasters are increasingly frequent and severe. Moreover, they may have profound educational consequences for students, hindering their attendance, achievement, and wellbeing – particularly for those experiencing homelessness. Yet there is a dearth of research on student homelessness in the context of natural disasters. In this study, we use an environmental justice lens to explicate how student homelessness intersected with the phases of natural disaster in the context of one of the biggest natural catastrophes in American history – Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. We draw on semi-structured interviews with parents experiencing homelessness ( n = 10), district-level educational leaders ( n = 9), and anti-poverty community providers ( n = 19). We foreground not only families’ personal experiences with homelessness and disaster, but also how supportive organizations, such as schools and social service providers, adapted to the different phases of the crisis. Our findings unearthed important procedural injustices in the preparation and recovery stages of disaster. We conclude with implications for theory, practice, research, and policy in today’s uncertain political landscape.