Family Housing Pilot Boosts Students’ Attendance, Improves Discipline
A housing pilot in Fresno is beginning to show the results that school leaders and teachers have long predicted: Students are more likely to show up and stay on track when they have a stable place to live.
Fresnoland reported that after one year, the Crossroads Village Housing Pilot Program cited attendance gains for more than half of the 64 students it served, while discipline issues also fell for many participants.
The program’s first-year results were released this month and cover 20 Fresno Unified families and 64 students.
Fresnoland cited a news release that said more than half of those students improved their attendance, and two-thirds of students who had office discipline referrals in 2024-2025’s fourth quarter had none in 2025-2026’s fourth quarter.
Crossroads Village is located next to Fort Miller Middle School and contains 143 permanent housing units, Fresnoland reported. So far, 20 families and 64 students have been served through the project, including on-site mental health and case management services, plus a food pantry, laundry facilities, and other services and facilities, including a pool. FUSD and FTA each have reportedly contributed more than $156,000 into the project.
‘Instructive’ Data
Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her said the data is instructive.
“We know our students can’t thrive unless their basic needs are met, and stable housing is one of the foundations of success,” Her said in the news release.
Housing costs, including energy, can burden a household and threaten that stability, Fresnoland reported.
The project is a collaboration between Fresno Unified, the Fresno Teachers Association, the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health (FCDBH), UPholdings, a national real estate firm with a focus on affordable housing, and the Central Valley Education Foundation, a nonprofit headed by FTA.
Housing Gives Greater Stability
“When students face housing instability, teachers see the impact in the classroom through missed school, added stress, and difficulty focusing. This pilot program and the support provided at Crossroads gives families greater stability and helps students attend consistently, stay engaged, and arrive at school ready to learn. Investing in families is an investment in student success,” said FTA President Manuel Bonilla in the news release.
Fresno Unified, like many districts in California and nationwide, face declining enrollment caused by declining birth rates and families moving. FUSD has lost 4,000 students in the last decade and expects to lose nearly the same amount in just the next couple of years.
