Same Storm, Different Boat: Student Homelessness & Natural Disaster

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Same Storm, Different Boat: Student Homelessness & Natural Disaster
Language: English
Authors: Alexandra E. Pavlakis (ORCID 0000-0001-7165-9732), J. Kessa Roberts (ORCID 0000-0002-0981-6730), Meredith P. Richards (ORCID 0000-0002-1606-5023), Mai W. Zaru (ORCID 0000-0002-7795-9143)
Source: Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education. 2026 58(1).
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 28
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Housing, Natural Disasters, Parent Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes, Poverty, Community Services, School Districts, Student Experience, Weather
Geographic Terms: Texas (Houston)
DOI: 10.1007/s11256-026-00808-5
ISSN: 0042-0972
1573-1960
Abstract: Due to climate change, natural disasters are increasingly frequent and severe. Moreover, they may have profound educational consequences for students, hindering their attendance, achievement, and wellbeing -- particularly for those experiencing homelessness. Yet there is a dearth of research on student homelessness in the context of natural disasters. In this study, we use an environmental justice lens to explicate how student homelessness intersected with the phases of natural disaster in the context of one of the biggest natural catastrophes in American history -- Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. We draw on semi-structured interviews with parents experiencing homelessness (n = 10), district-level educational leaders (n = 9), and anti-poverty community providers (n = 19). We foreground not only families' personal experiences with homelessness and disaster, but also how supportive organizations, such as schools and social service providers, adapted to the different phases of the crisis. Our findings unearthed important procedural injustices in the preparation and recovery stages of disaster. We conclude with implications for theory, practice, research, and policy in today's uncertain political landscape.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508968
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Due to climate change, natural disasters are increasingly frequent and severe. Moreover, they may have profound educational consequences for students, hindering their attendance, achievement, and wellbeing -- particularly for those experiencing homelessness. Yet there is a dearth of research on student homelessness in the context of natural disasters. In this study, we use an environmental justice lens to explicate how student homelessness intersected with the phases of natural disaster in the context of one of the biggest natural catastrophes in American history -- Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. We draw on semi-structured interviews with parents experiencing homelessness (n = 10), district-level educational leaders (n = 9), and anti-poverty community providers (n = 19). We foreground not only families' personal experiences with homelessness and disaster, but also how supportive organizations, such as schools and social service providers, adapted to the different phases of the crisis. Our findings unearthed important procedural injustices in the preparation and recovery stages of disaster. We conclude with implications for theory, practice, research, and policy in today's uncertain political landscape.
ISSN:0042-0972
1573-1960
DOI:10.1007/s11256-026-00808-5