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On The Edge

Unseen but Everywhere: A three-part look at housing insecurity and education among Colorado youth

Unseen but Everywhere: A three-part look at housing insecurity and education among Colorado youth

More than 16,000 Colorado students were homeless during the 2021-2022 academic year, according to state data. These young people crashed on couches and stayed in motels. Some slept on the streets, and many made their way alone, without a guardian. These students dropout more than twice as often as their peers. Older youth struggle to find a path forward as they age out of support systems. In our new series, Unseen but Everywhere, KUNC visits with young people across Northern Colorado to hear about their lives and academic experiences.
A young girl walks beside her mother on a sidewalk talking with another young girl walking in front of them. All are wearing winter coats and hats.
Jennifer Coombes
/
KUNC
Tens of thousands of migrant families have arrived in Denver from the U.S.-Mexico border over the last year. Some of their kids have joined the school system, but many others haven’t. In the final installment of KUNC’s new series, ‘Unseen but Everywhere,’ Lucas Brady Woods reports on the slew of barriers standing in the way of an education for local migrant children.
Oscar Godinez-Avila stands over a rollout mat bed next to a tall white chest of drawers in a bedroom.
Emma VandenEinde
/
KUNC
Nearly half of all college students nationwide said they struggle to pay utilities or rent while also managing medical, grocery and transportation bills. Thousands of college students succumb to these challenges every semester.
Lukas Moody, 14 poses for a photo with his mother, Marygrace Lankhorst, at a motel in Fort Morgan, Colo on January 16, 2024. Their family has struggled with homelessness for years in rural Fort Morgan, Colo.
Rae Solomon
/
KUNC
Youth homelessness is a big problem in Colorado. But in rural areas, where resources are scarce, social stigma heightened and transportation limited, kids struggle more to get help.