Fresno Unified’s novel solution to chronic absenteeism: Pay for students’ rent
Fresno Unified is taking a novel approach to address chronic absenteeism among its neediest students, some of whom don’t show up to school because they lack stable housing.
The district will provide rental subsidies to 10 unhoused families of Fresno Unified students covering most of their monthly rent — becoming the first known school district in Central California to directly pay for students’ housing.
The $156,000 program, passed by the school board Wednesday, will accommodate ten families experiencing severe homelessness in two-bedroom units in Crossroads Village, a contracted affordable housing partner.
The district says it will collaborate with community groups to provide wraparound support, such as life skills training, career development and financial literacy, to help families achieve long-term success beyond the two-year housing assistance period.
“Looking at chronic absenteeism for our students who are experiencing homelessness, I had to think outside of the boxes about how we can support our families,” said Tumani Heights, manager of the district’s Project ACCESS, which serves foster youth and homeless students. “Ultimately, we have to recognize that their basic needs have to be met in order for them to come to school and be stable enough to perform academically.”
Heights said she has long seen the impact of housing instability on student absenteeism, and whenever the district surveys families, housing consistently tops the list, especially since Fresno’s housing crisis has worsened after the pandemic.
The number of people who are unhoused in Fresno and Madera counties has reached a 10-year high, according to the region’s annual Point-In-Time count reported in 2023. As of this week, 774 students enrolled in Fresno Unified are experiencing homelessness. The number represents 1.2% of the district’s total student population.
“The numbers speak for themselves. There are so many unhoused families that we have to do something about it,” said Darrin Person, the district’s executive director of Community Schools, an initiative to make campuses a resource hub for their neighborhood. Currently, Fresno Unified has 19 community schools, and the district is applying for more state funds to expand the program. The goal is to turn one-fourth of the district’s 106 school sites into community schools by the end of the year.
The district will pay for the rental subsidies using state funding from its community schools program.
Heights said the district will provide rental subsidies to families with the most pressing needs. This includes families fleeing domestic violence, families sleeping in cars or in motels and shelters, and households with adults with severe mental disabilities. She said her team had completed the evaluation and aims to have the 10 families move into their new apartments by the end of April.
To be eligible to stay in the program, selected families must maintain their kids’ school attendance at 90% or higher, attend regular parent-teacher conferences and other school activities, and participate in courses that will help them succeed beyond the 24-month period.
Families will pay their portion of the rent, roughly $594 a month, depending on their household income, said Person.
“We’ve always believed that they have to be involved, putting their best foot forward and paying some of their rent,” said Person. “That’s why some of the services we’re going to be providing will help them be able to sustain and help improve their income, so that they can begin to pay more and more as we go.”
The program marks the first time Fresno Unified has provided such intensive support for families with unstable housing. The district has helped families in the past with short-term placements, such as motels or shelters, Heights said. But, to her knowledge, this is the first program of its kind in the Central Valley.
Fresno Unified’s board is shifting the district’s investment decision-making process based on academic returns and student outcomes. Trustees said they will be intentional about the evaluation and measure the impact on families, and hope to bring in outside partners to fund and expand the program.
“I think it’s a great opportunity and example for us to lead the way and to show the results that can come out of doing something like this. It’s a relatively minimal investment for us to do whatever we can to support our student success,” said Trustee Andy Levine, who represents the Fresno High region where Fort Miller Middle School is located. “I would hope to bring in and inspire philanthropic partners to potentially provide additional funding for us to expand the resources for this kind of approach.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
