The economic downturn has forced more families and youth to lose their footing, falling downward into the spiral of homelessness and jeopardizing children and youth's educational success. At the same time, a one-time increase in federal funding for school-based efforts to identify and support homeless children and youth has enabled more school districts to provide more assistance. The ability of schools to continue to provide this assistance, however, hinges on current budget decisions. This brief summarizes recent federal data, as well as findings from a national survey of school districts and state departments of education.