• There are 80,000 homeless students enrolled in New York City public schools.
• From 2007-2013, there has been a 64% increase in homelessness in NYC public schools.
• In the 2011-2012 school year, 6,273 homeless students had to repeat a year of school, costing the Department of Education around $135 million.

Action must be taken to address these statistics. We propose that more shelter-based after school programs are made available to students living without a permanent residence. We want to ensure that these students can progress at the same rate as their permanently housed peers by increasing funding for such after school programs. These programs have been shown to result in significant improvements in a student's academic performance. They are also cost-effective, in that it costs as little as $3,000 per student, per year. 

We are asking for your support in improving the education experiences of homeless New York public school students. Thank you for signing this petition.