LAUSD wants to help connect homeless students, their families to services

The Los Angeles Unified School District is hoping to connect over 17,000 students and their families to services.

LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said he feels there may be more because some people are reluctant to tell school officials.

"They're dealing with stress and trauma in their life. We see them in the morning when the breakfast we provide them is the first hot meal they've had since they left the day before. They'll be tired. They fall asleep on their desks because they couldn't sleep," said Beutner.

Some schools have as many as a quarter of the students and their families experiencing homelessness, according to Beutner.

He feels the schools have a relationship of trust with the families since they care for their children every day.

"The state will send us funding for a math teacher but nothing extra for us to help that student in the math class whose family might be experiencing homelessness," Beutner said.

This comes as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti works with the federal government to get more money to help with the homelessness crisis.

The mayor's office confirmed that Garcetti sent a letter to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson asking for federal help. The two sides are working on an agreement that would include federal funds and land.

The mayor's office put out the following statement:

"Mayor Garcetti had a good conversation with Secretary Carson yesterday about the need to expand and accelerate federal investment in confronting the homelessness crisis. Los Angeles is already taking bold steps forward, and more emergency assistance from our federal partners could help us scale up our work."

"We believe schools can be part of the solution," Beutner said.