ONTARIO – As classrooms across Malheur County fill again after the holidays, the first weeks after winter break can be challenging for local homeless students and their families.
According to the most recent numbers from the Oregon Department of Education, the county as a whole logs 276 students who are considered homeless.
The three biggest school districts in the area, Nyssa, Vale and Ontario, have 28, 67, and 171 respectively. That’s a total of 266 students from kindergarten to high school designated as homeless.
They aren’t necessarily living under bridges, but are categorized as such based on their living situation.
Many are considered homeless because they are housing insecure, perhaps living in a motel or a vehicle, living with somebody other than their guardian, are doubled up with other families, or are experiencing instability at home.
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