Getting homeless kids in school was one of my passions when I served on the board of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Thanks to hard work by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress there are more resources available to help accomplish that goal than ever before. My good friend Dona Bolt told the story this week to The New York Times:
In Oregon, officials used data from a census of people living in shelters to estimate that there were about 21,000 homeless school-age youths in the state two years ago. Using the same methodology this fall, Oregon put the number at 28,600.
"Homelessness is exploding in Oregon," said Dona Horine Bolt, coordinator of the state's homeless education program. "We're seeing people who are brand new to poverty, learning how to survive."As they move through the state, Ms. Bolt said, homeless people use local school district offices, especially in rural towns, "as a sort of one-stop center for help."
"They're looking for a house and some food and a job," Ms. Bolt said. "They ask not only how to enroll their children, but also about jobs or where to park the trailer for a couple of weeks or where the soup kitchen is."
The McKinney-Vento law, passed in 1987, strengthened the rights of homeless students when Congress reauthorized it in 2002. It requires each of the country's 15,000 school districts to designate a "liaison for homeless children and youth," whose duties include searching for children living in shelters, motels, campgrounds and other irregular residences, helping them enroll in school, and ensuring that they get immunizations and other medical and dental care. It also requires districts to provide transportation so that homeless children can attend the same school, even if their parents move about seeking shelter or jobs.
You can learn more about the importance of getting kids who are homeless to attend public schools by visiting these sites:
Education of Homeless Youth and Children
National Center for Homeless Education
School Segregation and Homeless Children and Youth: An Overview
School Segregation and Homeless Children and Youth: Questions and Answers
Portland, Oregon has a great program working to get kids who are homeless into area public schools. The program is called Project Return - they have won national awards for their work. Get in touch with them and find out how you can help. Project Return can be found at 531 S.E. 14th St Room 315 or by calling (503)916-5840 x350 or 352.