According to the National Center for Homeless Education, children experiencing homelessness are 87% more likely to drop out of school than their housed peers. And for the students who do stay in school, the impacts are still profound: research shows that they are more likely to struggle with attendance, concentration, behavioral health, and academic performance.
At Hope Atlanta, we see this reality up close every day—especially now, as more families with children are turning to our Women’s Community Outreach and Community Kitchen programs for help during back-to-school season.
This year, we’re serving more mothers trying to get their kids to class while navigating unstable housing. More grandparents stepping in to care for school-age children without enough food at home. More students coming to our community kitchen not just hungry for a meal, but hungry for stability.
These aren’t isolated cases—they’re part of a rising trend. Across the city, family homelessness is up nearly 14%, fueled by inflation, the expiration of key pandemic supports, and the ongoing shortage of affordable housing. The strain is especially visible in neighborhoods where social safety nets are already stretched thin and families must choose between rent, food, or school supplies.
We also know that food insecurity is directly tied to learning. Students who face hunger are more likely to repeat a grade, receive special education services, and struggle with emotional regulation in the classroom. In Georgia, nearly 1 in 5 children live in food-insecure households.
At Hope Atlanta, we respond with integrated services that meet families where they are—from emergency shelter and housing navigation to warm meals, hygiene kits, and school supplies.It’s the power of a community-centered response—one that offers both urgent help and enduring hope.
This work also extends to our youngest learners and youngest volunteers. Recently, Ruby Glenn chose to support Hope Atlanta through a birthday drive, collecting much-needed back-to-school supplies for children we serve. Ruby and her mother, Kellie Glenn—Hope Atlanta’s Chief Development Officer – visited our Women’s Outreach and Community Kitchen and volunteered. Ruby’s birthday drive was supported by their friends, including many in their Riverside neighborhood.
Their service reminds us that compassion and community can start at any age, and that helping a child succeed in school often starts with another child who cares.
This is the power of our model: donor-led, volunteer-fed, and community-powered. And it’s rooted in the social determinants of health—housing, nutrition, education, and mental well-being. Because it takes more than a backpack to be ready for school. It takes stability. It takes dignity. It takes hope.
And with SNAP benefits at risk, rents on the rise, and school doors now open, the time to act is now.
Want to be part of the story? Join us. Volunteer. Donate. Advocate. Because every child deserves the chance to learn—and every family deserves the stability to dream.
Homeless children are up to 87% more likely to drop out of school than their peers, a fact we cannot ignore.