Over the course of several months, I investigated a troubling trend in Maine: the number of students who were homeless or displaced had grown by 30 percent over the past three years, and the issue was leaving students, social services and schools overwhelmed and often struggling to keep up. I looked at the causes of the issue, how it was affecting kids and families, and how some agencies were finding a way to help.

Why have the number of homeless students risen by 30 percent in Maine in recent years? And how was it affecting students like Mikaylah, who were left with little support?

In this piece, I explored the tough choices that many homeless students in the state have been forced to make: as social services have shrunk, particularly in many rural areas, some students are forced to choose between seeking help in an urban center, or staying in the communities with people they know and trust.

Over the course of several months, I spent time inside one rural school district, talking with students about their struggles and documenting firsthand the seemingly endless barriers that they face in getting basic services, like health care and food.

In recent years, there are some examples of how schools in Maine are helping homeless students persist and graduate. One of those programs is in Biddeford, which has created a program recognizing the many challenges that their students face and providing them with intensive social work and mental health services. So far, kids are graduating.

For the national public radio show Marketplace, I adapted my series, exploring the issue of youth homelessness on a more national level and the challenges that schools and students face.