What does it mean to be homeless? Bend-La Pine Schools and the Redmond School District this week reported a drop in the number of homeless students. But Crook, Jefferson and Sisters all reported slight increases, and the state had an increase of 1,500.

Students considered homeless include those living in hotels and motels, those living in homeless shelters and those with no shelter at all.

But here’s the surprising part: The count can also include those living with their own extended families. The data show the vast majority of the region’s homeless students are sharing homes with family members or friends.

So if Mom and Dad and Junior move in with Grandma after Mom loses her job, they can count as homeless.

No doubt that’s a disappointing and difficult situation, but homeless? Not by ordinary folks’ definition.

That definition of homelessness is set by the federal government, and it has an important purpose, according to Bend-La Pine’s Director of Federal Programs Dana Arntson.

Arntson said extended family situations can be unstable, and the family not named on the mortgage or lease agreement is always at risk. The school district’s liaison for homeless students doesn’t automatically consider the student homeless, but talks to the parents to determine if the student needs help. However, if the families are living together for cultural rather than economic reasons, they would not be considered homeless.

For any student identified as needing the liaison’s help — in an extended family arrangement or otherwise — the liaison makes sure the student is enrolled in school and evaluated for free or reduced price lunch. If the student has changed schools, the liaison makes sure necessary records are located. And the student and family are connected with agencies that might be able to help them, ranging from the Family Access Network to NeighborImpact to the Bethlehem Inn.

One goal of the program is to keep the student in the same school he or she attended previously. Students in unstable families often move from school to school to school, Arntson said, which damages their chances for success. The liaison can arrange transportation if the student has moved too far away from that school.

At first glance, it appears misleading to label as homeless those who live with extended family. But the details of the schools’ efforts show in this case it can have a worthwhile benefit.