In 2023, Governor Maura Healey declared homelessness a state of emergency in Massachusetts. By the 2024–25 academic year, the scale of student homelessness was clear statewide — and sharpest in Brockton.
Students experiencing homelessness identified by Brockton Public Schools
2024–25 academic year · one homeless liaison for every 1,300+ students across 25 schools
Of Brockton district enrollment experiencing homelessness
2024–25 academic year · more than twice the statewide average
Sources: Massachusetts DESE identification data (2024–25 academic year); Brockton Public Schools; community-based equity audit by the Housing & Educational Equity Lab at Boston College, including interviews with 60 local interest holders.
Students lose stable housing and experience frequent moves between shelters, doubled-up apartments, and motels. Family shelter services center caregivers and youth programs serve ages 18–24, so 13–18 year-olds fall through the cracks.
From 2020 to 2023, the statewide four-year graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness ranged from 56–68%. At Brockton High School, an estimated 55% were chronically absent, and between 2020–2026, 13% were pushed out — about 4x the school's and the state's overall dropout rate.
The 2024–25 equity audit found fragmented service delivery, limited culturally responsive mental health support, and just $34 per student experiencing homelessness in dedicated funding, with one homeless liaison for 1,300+ students across 25 schools.
Brockton is not lacking resources.
Brockton is lacking coordination.
The Brockton Education and Housing Coalition is a cross-sector partnership committed to dismantling the systemic and institutional barriers faced by students experiencing homelessness. By strengthening coordination among schools, city agencies, and community-based organizations, we work to build responsive, culturally grounded systems of support that promote stability, belonging, and long-term success for Brockton’s youth.
Read our Theory of ActionWe envision a Brockton where all young people have access to stable housing, equitable educational opportunities, and coordinated community and family supports that allow them to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
BE&HC emerged from sustained community engagement. In 2024, Boston College's Housing and Educational Equity Lab (HEEL) conducted a community-based equity audit grounded in more than 60 interviews, identifying fragmented services and a significant coverage gap for adolescents and doubled-up youth.
From September 2024 through March 2025, HEEL, Brockton High School leadership, and the district's homeless liaison met regularly to determine a collective response. Those conversations led to BE&HC's formation.
The coalition now consists of over 20 members representing city government, legal services, homeless services, higher education, youth development, workforce development, and lived experience of homelessness. Most members were raised, educated, or work in Brockton, and leadership includes substantial representation from Black, Latina, Haitian, Cape Verdean, and immigrant-serving organizations.
BE&HC convened regularly in person and dedicated the first three months to developing a mission statement and a set of collaborative initiatives. That shared systems-change agenda spans academic pathways, stabilization, youth belonging, resource access, cross-sector infrastructure, and regional policy advocacy — with members aligning their institutional networks and resources toward the collective goal of helping youth experiencing homelessness stabilize and thrive.
Each pillar organizes the initiatives building it out.
Help students stay on track, graduate, and reach college or career.
Flexible school-based supports that help students stabilize and stay engaged.
Connect students to relationships, enrichment, and paid opportunities.
Make rights and resources easier for students and families to access.
Shared commitments, training, and coordination across organizations.
Connect school-based efforts to the broader housing system.
Over 25 members, including six Brockton High School students.
