Nora Perez just graduated from Royal Learning Center, a high school in Los Angeles. Each night, prior to graduation, she studied in her part-time home — her parent's car — where she and her family spent many of their afternoon and evening hours. During her freshman year, Perez's father lost his job, and then the family lost her their home. Faced with the challenge of homelessness, Perez had the courage to do what countless homeless children and students are too humiliated or fearful to do — ask for help.

David Nazar of PBS SoCal first reported on Perez's story earlier this month, shining light on a growing epidemic in this country and in California: youth homelessness.

Nationally, homelessness among teenage students has increased by nearly 75 percent since the beginning of the recession. During the 2011-12 school year, more than 1.1 million students in the United States were homeless, and a more recent report showed that students in California ranked highest in the categories of "unsheltered and unaccompanied 18-24 year olds" and "unaccompanied children and youth."

California, then, came in second place to Florida in the categories of "sheltered and unaccompanied children" and "unsheltered and unaccompanied," also third in the category of "sheltered and unaccompanied 18-24 year olds," all in 2013.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that there were about 137,000 homeless people in California, though that number is likely much higher. The Los Angeles Unified School District identified 15,000 homeless children within its boundaries, and approximated that there could be hundreds, possibly thousands more.

Perez is just one of many students to experience homelessness in high school, particularly as a Latino. Statistically, unaccompanied youth and homeless youth who belong to low-income families are much more likely to drop out of school, possibly cementing their place below the poverty line for the rest of their lives. Perez decided to bring attention to her and her family's situation after witnessing the pain in her parents face and be overwhelmed with a desire to "just give up." However, because she didn't give up, and because she asked for help, she was granted access to numerous, albeit under-financed, resources made available in her area.

"That pain motivated Nora to look for help, and she found it in the district's Homeless Education Program, designed to provide assistance to students and their families who don't have a place to live," reported Nazar. "One of the first things the program targets: the essentials students may have had to do without."

The executive director of the district's Student Health and Human Services Department, Debra Duardo shared that homeless students and families deal with tremendous instability in their lives, and it's often difficult for them to access the services that they need. Duardo personally oversees 14 wellness centers built over five years, funded with nearly $40 million in voter-approved body money and $50 million in fund raising; something that no other district in the country has been able to do.

"Many of our students that become homeless or families become homeless as a result of mental illness, domestic violence, coming back from war, substance abuse," stated Duardo. "So ... when you're a child and you're dealing with some of these issues in your family, oftentimes, you're going to have symptoms of anxiety, depression, haven't been taken to a doctor for regular care, lacking dental services."

Homelessness is stigmatized, and students are often unlikely to report homelessness. Embarrassed, community members and teachers are unaware of students' personal strife, and they suffer. Many students in the Hispanic-dominant district (80 percent) are afraid to ask for assistance because they come from immigrant households, and they are undocumented, like Perez.

"I am undocumented. I wasn't born here. I was born in Mexico. And I was born and raised until I was 8, and then I came here," Perez confessed.

Homeless Education Program, like many programs nationwide, receives funding from McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and they offer resources to undocumented students who face enrollment delays and other issues due to homelessness. Homeless Education provides for basic needs: toothbrushes, toothpastes, and washcloths, so they might wash themselves.

Because Homeless Education has limited funding, it collaborates with countless other community groups, banks and individuals, so they can offer resources to those in need. School on Wheels, a nonprofit learning center in downtown L.A., brings nearly 2,000 volunteers to impoverished neighborhoods, ensuring bright futures for children living in motels, shelters, or on the street.

Perez won't be enrolling in college right away, but she is determined to earn a university diploma and determined to become an FBI agent. Also, within recent weeks, Perez and her family have been able to secure an apartment.