More than 300 students houseless Local resources struggle to meet demand as D65 housing insecurity surges

By SKYE GARCIA and BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @skyeagarcia, @beatricedvilla

More than 300 students in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 are houseless this academic year, according to District 65 social worker Allison Harned.

In the current 2022-23 academic year, the district registered more than 60 additional students as houseless compared to the previous academic year. This was the highest surge since the 20122013 school year, according to District 65 data, even though overall enrollment has lowered since then.

“Our numbers are definitely increasing,” said Harned, who connects families experiencing housing instability with local agencies. “We have people coming in every day.”

She said a variety of factors contribute to this growth, such as rising housing costs and the