The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round: Transportation for Homeless Students in Los Angeles County

Transportation has consistently been the largest barrier for homeless students to overcome to staying in school. With family homelessness on the rise nationally, the provision of transportation services for homeless students is an important protection of the right to public education for homeless youth, and an effort to provide students with the most stable and academically supportive option. This study aims to investigate the successes and continuing challenges in homeless student transportation services at the city-scale (Los Angeles County) in order to contribute to a national discourse on prevention of further hardship for a growing number of youth. Secondary data analysis describes the context of the issue, while surveys and interviews with school district employees reveal the solutions born of these factors and explore the dynamics of coordination and the actors involved. Public transportation is the most cited mode of transportation for children and youth to school. Frequent residential mobility and difficulty getting in touch with parents are the biggest challenges to transportation coordination. District Liaisons interact with multiple agencies in the coordination of transportation, through communication, collaboration and conducting outreach. Although the survey responses are promising in what they communicate about educational access, recommendations for improving conditions are outlined