PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Seventy Pittsfield Public School students have been unhoused this school year, 20 more than the previous year.

"The numbers, in my opinion, are quite high," said Jennifer Stokes, assistant superintendent for school transformation and accountability.

On Wednesday, Stokes spoke with the Homelessness Advisory Committee about the district's McKinney-Vento population. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act is a federal program that helps homeless children and youth enroll in and attend school.

Since September, there have been 70 unhoused students in the district. Twelve have obtained housing, leaving 58 still without a stable roof over their heads.

Twenty-two of those students are in a shelter, six are in a motel or hotel, 30 are doubled up with friends and family, and 16 of those students were also homeless last year. Seven of the unhoused students are immigrants from the state emergency shelter housed at the Hilton Garden Inn and 24 are new to the district and have moved to Pittsfield in shelters or as part of an unhoused family.

"Once a student is identified as McKinney-Vento, we immediately enroll them in school, and we immediately provide transportation," Stokes explained.

"So if, let's say, a family does not have all the required documentation such as medical forms, we bypass that. If they're a McKinney-Vento student, they're allowed to start immediately. Sometimes that gets a little tricky when a student is on an IEP because we want to make sure that their special education placement is the correct placement."

Once these students start school, the school adjustment counselor is notified and reaches out to the student and family to see what services they need or provide any needed support through confidential counseling.