Last December, Kelley Kemplin and her two children were living out of a blue Chevy Traverse in Spokane Valley. Nine-year-old Michael and 7-year-old Ava used blankets and pillows to make a bed in the back of the SUV.

Today, they remember how their warm breath would steam up the windows.

They are not the only ones who have lived like this.

Last year, there were 1,122 homeless students in Spokane Valley, said Katelynn Clark, a social worker at Central Valley School District. School districts in the Valley, including Central Valley, East Valley and West Valley each contribute to that number. There are another 1,172 homeless students in Spokane Public Schools, according to district spokesperson Ryan Lancaster.

“There’s no school that isn’t touched by homelessness,” Clark said.

Exacerbating

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