Thousands of OC Kids Struggle With Homelessness, Hunger and Mental Health Issues
The number of kids that local school districts in Orange County deemed as homeless and the number of children eligible for free lunches – a longtime indicator of poverty – has gone up again for a second year in a row, according to a new county report.
The yearly assessment put together by groups like the OC Social Service Agency, OC Health Care Agency and First 5 – a government agency that focuses on child health and development – shows that mental health issues like depression are on the rise with OC kids and teenagers.
At Tuesday’s OC Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said the 30th Annual Conditions of Children report, which is usually released in the winter, is important because it is a roadmap to create good public policy.
“So some incredibly disturbing findings here – but important ones for us to take a look at and make sure that this board and other agencies address these,” he said.
To read the 30th Annual Conditions of Children Report, click here.
Health Concerns
The report found a rise in a string of health issues including an increase in the percent of infant mortality rates, babies with low birth weights, and preterm births.
Kim Goll, president and CEO of First 5, said in a Thursday email one of the most concerning trends her group sees based on the findings is racial disparities – particularly in the Black community – in the rate of preterm birth rates, infant mortality and low birth weight.
“We have initiatives aimed at improving outcomes in each of these areas, including a Black Infant Health program, support for doulas [a non-medical professional who provides childbirth support] that can have significant benefit for healthy birth outcomes for birthing persons of color, home visiting programs and prenatal classes,” Goll said.
Goll and her team are also worried about substance abuse during pregnancy.
According to the report, the percentage of pregnant people drinking alcohol in an average week during the last trimester of their most recent pregnancy was 7.6% – higher than the state average of 7.4%.
“We are also working to raise awareness and use by birthing hospitals of Family Wellness Plans (also known as Plans of Safe Care) to address substance use during pregnancy,” Goll said.
Depression & Substance Abuse
There has also been an increase in the hospitalization rate for substance abuse and serious mental illness, according to the annual report.
“Over half of all lesbian, gay or bisexual students experienced depression related feelings, ” reads the report. “The combined hospitalization rate for serious mental illness and substance use conditions for children increased by 39%, from a low of 22.6 per 10,000 children in 2013 to 2015 to 32.0 per 10,000 children in 2020 to 2022.”
The rise in mental health issues in LGBTQ+ kids comes after Groundswell – formerly known as OC Human Relations – released a report last year that showed a 126% jump in anti-LGBTQ+ hate activity in 2022.
[Read: New Report Shows Hate Crimes and Incidents Continue Increasing in Orange County]
The report also lands after a host of local officials have banned flying pride flags at government buildings and some local school districts have adopted transgender notification policies.
In response to the rise in mental health issues, the OC Health Care Agency is recommending school districts prioritize the hiring of school counselors.
“This will significantly strengthen the delivery of behavioral health services to students,” said Ellen Guevara, a spokeswoman for the agency, in an emailed statement on behalf of the agency’s behavioral health team.
“Providing a safe space for teens to share concerns they experience is also key. This approach will enable early intervention, ensuring that students receive the necessary treatment and support to help them recover and thrive.”
OC’s Homeless Kids
The report found that 5.9% of students enrolled in public school in the 2022-23 school year were home insecure – up from 5.6% the previous year.
That means that about 27,000 kids were either sleeping in parks, living in motels, in a homeless shelter or in most cases doubled up with other families in one house.
While the percent of homeless kids has gone up in the past two years, it is still lower than it was about a decade ago in the 2013-14 school year when it was 6.5%
The recent uptick in homeless kids comes as cities across OC are bolstering laws aimed at cracking down on homeless encampments after the Supreme Court overturned a ruling that required cities to offer shelter to homeless people before they could clear them off the street.
[Read: Orange County Confronts Homelessness Ahead of Thanksgiving]
Child Poverty & Hunger
The new Conditions of Children report also found an uptick in the percentage of kids eligible for free school lunches – an indicator of kids living in poverty.
Over 236,000 kids or about 54% of students enrolled in public schools in OC were eligible for a free school lunch – up from about 53%, according to the report.
[Read: Orange County’s Children Confront Poverty, Hunger and Absenteeism]
The reported increase comes after leaders with the Orange County Hunger Alliance late last month warned of a silent and sharp rise in hunger across OC at a level they haven’t seen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And they’re worried they can’t keep up with the demand.
[Read: Hunger is on a Sharp and Silent Rise in Orange County This Thanksgiving]
Since last year, there’s also been a nearly 6% increase in the number of OC residents receiving CalFresh Food Stamp benefits, according to OC Social Services Agency.
The Agency’s Director, An Tran, says these benefits alone are not enough to feed families.
“SSA alone cannot address the food insecurity our residents face. A coordinated effort is necessary to keep children and their families fed,” Tran said in a Friday email statement.
“CalFresh benefits are not enough, so families supplement by visiting food pantries, food banks and their local churches.”
Tran added that a new state program is helping families feed their children in the summer months when they’re out of school.
“Programs like the free school lunches also help, as does the new state program SUN Bucks, which provides an extra $120 per child for families to buy groceries during the summer months,” he said.
While the number of kids who can get a free lunch is up, child poverty in Orange County has been on a decline since 2013 when 18.8% of kids lived in poverty, which dropped to 10.7% or about 69,000 kids in 2022.
The report showed there were 7 cities where the number of kids living in poverty were greater than 13% including San Juan Capistrano, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Stanton, Anaheim and Westminster – with the biggest population of impoverished kids at 21.4%.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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