Bullying and homelessness in todays youth

     

    Imagine your family was already struggling to make ends meet, and then on top of that, your child or grandchild was being bullied at school because they wear the same clothes every day. Something they have no control over. The bullying of students experiencing homelessness must be addressed by schools and the community because it harms students' mental health, disrupts their education, reinforces harmful social stigma, and increases the risk of long-term negative outcomes in students. 

Children's mental health can be greatly impacted by bullying. According to FOX News, a 14-year-old child in California took his own life because his classmates bullied him for being homeless. Students would spit on him and hit him while calling him homeless and motherless. Students also report feeling anxiety and depression about not knowing where they're going to sleep that night, as well as when going to school, because they know what's waiting for them. Young students should not have to know what these feelings are, let alone feel them for themselves. School administrations need to get a handle on bullying, especially of homeless students, so they do not have to feel this way. 

    Students who are being bullied and/or are homeless often miss a lot of school, which negatively impacts their education. Their anxiety and depression may keep them from school because they are in fear of being bullied and harassed. They may also miss school because of a lack of transportation. Schoolhouse Connection says rural communities need to work as a team to provide transportation for students, whether it's to and from school or from medical appointments to school, so they don't miss entire days for small appointments. Children's education matters, and we need to make sure they are getting it. 

    Students may also miss school due to the negative stigma around homelessness. Homeless people are often blamed for their own circumstances when most of the time they have no control over them. They're also portrayed as lazy for not being able to get back on their feet when it's so much more than that. The worst thing for kids is probably being called dirty. Just because they wear the same clothes every day doesn't make them dirty; that might just be all they have. This makes them self-conscious and feel bad about themselves, and they don't have to feel this way. The stigma around homelessness needs to be changed. People need to realize that being homeless is often not the person's or the family's fault. People get laid off from work a lot, and they run out of money quickly because they have kids to support. People need to realize that, yes, sometimes homelessness is preventable, but oftentimes it is not; it's an unfortunate thing that happens to people, and they shouldn't be bullied and harassed for it. 

    A long-term negative outcome that can come from homelessness is illicit drug use. In the peer-reviewed journal: Bullying at school and on the street: risk factors and outcomes among homeless youth, it says that one-third of homeless youth get into illicit drugs. It also says that drug use can lead to prolonged substance abuse problems and long-term homelessness. Students often start to rely on drugs because they've been victimized in some way. Whether that's child abuse, physical assault, sexual abuse, etc. They use drugs to cope with their trauma. Another negative outcome is risky behaviors. They may start to participate in risky sexual behaviors. This may include having many sexual partners, not using protection, or even prostitution. They may start these behaviors because they feel like they have to to survive being homeless. Homeless youth also often start having sex at a much younger age than their housed peers. They may also just risk their lives in general because they don't know what they have to live for. They'll meet up with strangers to do drugs, drive recklessly, stay out at night alone, etc. We need to protect our youth but especially our homeless youth.