Those counted as homeless include families that are living two to a household and those living in garages or in an unstable sleeping arrangement, said Rhonda Haramis, the center's lead teacher and program head. She pointed to several recent trends, including a growing number of homeless families in which the parents are college-educated married couples who have lost their homes in the economic downturn.
"Unlike the chronically homeless, they don't realize there are services available," Haramis said. "Many end up coming to their kid's school having just lost a job. One of the great things about the science camp is that for many families, it provides their first encounter with a wider array of social services."
