Nightmarish existence of impoverished LA boy, 15, who is depressed and struggling at school after having to care for his sister and whose grades crashed during COVID ‘remote learning’

A Los Angeles boy threw his life into chaos when he dropped out of school with depression while being forced to care for his sister.

Deneffy Sánchez, 15, who shared a single bed with his mother, Lilian López, and three-year-old sister, Jennifer, was evicted from their apartment by their landlady in July, leaving the trio homeless again.

But this wasn’t the first time this had happened and to delay the inevitable, Sánchez decided to stay in the apartment and skipped school to ensure their belongings weren’t thrown out onto the street.

By July 1, the family had been pushed out of the apartment and was struggling to find a place to live.

“It’s scary that she could do that again and there was nothing we could do about it,” he said. “I don’t feel safe leaving.”

Without a father in the house, Deneffy has, in a way, filled the gap. He watches Jennifer when his mother has to work and he wants a job to help pay the rent. He often thinks about López dying and making him responsible for his little sister.

Jennifer already has a name for her teenage brother. She calls him Papa.

Lopez rides a bus to Beverly Hills, where she cleans houses and tries to make money while looking for a better living situation

They were forced to live with numerous roommates, including drug users and other homeless people, before they could find an apartment of their own.

The problems started when the pandemic left the family homeless and Sánchez became one of the millions of students who ended up not going to class every day.

When they do make it, countless numbers become so preoccupied with their problems that they struggle to learn. Others have disappeared from school all together.

In Los Angeles and much of California, housing insecurity has devastated the chances of recovery for children and teenagers like nothing else.

“Housing is the biggest reason why kids aren’t in school or we can’t find them,” said Elmer Roldan, executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, an organization that helps dozens of Los Angeles Unified schools track chronic issues. absent students.

The problems started when the pandemic left the family homeless and Sánchez became one of the millions of students who ended up not going to class every day

Sánchez’s housing problem and lack of Wi-Fi at home made it difficult for him to attend online classes and he felt like his peers were judging him

He started spending school days listening to moody electronic music in his earbuds and staring at his phone. ‘When will this be over? When will I get my happy ending: an apartment?’, he thought to himself

Last year, two in five Los Angeles Unified School District students missed more than 10 percent of the school year, according to district data.

By April 2023, the district had lost track of more than 2,500 students — children who quietly dropped out of school and never seemed to enroll elsewhere, according to preliminary data on the district website.

According to federal statistics, the majority of students deemed “homeless” by the government do indeed have a place to sleep, but it is precarious and often shared with roommates.

Sánchez’s housing problem and lack of Wi-Fi at home made it difficult for him to attend online classes, and he felt like his peers were judging him.

He started spending school days listening to moody electronic music in his earbuds and staring at his phone. ‘When will this be over? When will I get my happy ending: an apartment?’, he thought to himself.

Sánchez plays with Jennifer on the bunk bed they share in a shared studio apartment

Even though Lopez has found a small apartment for the family to rent, Sánchez remains concerned about their living situation and cannot catch up on school.

On some days, Sánchez did not go to school and skipped school for up to thirty days.

The stress of not having a stable home and not being able to understand the courses sent him into a downward spiral and into depression.

While the school attempted to provide Sánchez with mental health care, they were unable to help him for long due to their limited resources.

Even though Lopez has found a small apartment for the family to rent, Sánchez remains concerned about their living situation and cannot catch up on school.

In Los Angeles, more than 13,000 students are homeless and 2,000 of them are in shelters, the city’s superintendent said last spring.