For at least the fifth year in a row, the homeless student population in Austin ISD has increased again, as there were 2,693 homeless students in the 2015-16 school year, according to HousingWorks Austin, a local nonprofit organization that spreads awareness of affordable housing challenges in Austin.

By comparison, there were 2,642 homeless students counted during the 2014-15 school year.

HousingWorks Austin Executive Director Mandy De Mayo said she was “surprised and disappointed” at the 2,693 count.

De Mayo said that when there was a large spike within the homeless student population during the 2013-14 school year, which was an increase of 467 compared with the previous year, it was understandable because there was a change in the method by which homeless students were identified.

“The challenge now is, we are losing 1,000 students per year, with AISD projected to continue to lose students through 2020,” De Mayo said. “So, you’d like to see a corresponding decrease in the number of homeless students. I think it points to our ongoing challenges with affordability.”

Of the 2,693 homeless students, 2,072 are considered to be “doubled- up” homeless, meaning multiple families may be sharing a single home or apartment unit, according to De Mayo.

Living in these doubled-up situations could cause student academic and social performance to decrease because of a lack of shelter stability, she said.

“This is a huge, complicated issue, and the burden shouldn’t solely be on AISD,” De Mayo said. “AISD may be counting these numbers, and it is important that the data is out there, but this is a problem that needs to be addressed through multiple mechanisms.”