TERRE HAUTE (WIBQ) - Homelessness among children enrolled in Indiana public schools rose 26 percent over the two years ending in 2008-09 according to a report from First Focus, a children's advocacy group. The report did not provide the total number of homeless students for those years, but Indiana Department of Education data shows they numbered nearly 10,000 across the state last year. The state data shows that 43 percent of homeless school children were in K through third grade. Federal data shows that homelessness among students nationwide grew for two straight years since 2006-07.
