Today State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo announced that Oregon’s homeless student population for the 2007-08 school year was 15,859.
That’s an “increase of 93% since 2003-04,” according to the Oregon Department of Education.
This announcement represents the collective moral failings of our elected leaders.
Last year religious leaders from across Oregon wrote Governor Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Senator Gordon Smith asking that they take immediate action to support schools and non-profits assisting homeless families in the wake of this growing crisis. The letter stated in part:
As religious leaders, we care deeply about this issue. Our traditions teach that justice for those living in poverty is of paramount concern. Churches, temples and mosques across Oregon are involved in the fight to end homelessness.
The fact that over 15,000 children were homeless in Oregon during the last school year is a moral scandal. No child should be homeless in a nation as rich as ours. We support efforts to fully integrate homeless students into the public school system where they can receive all the benefits of a public education and oppose segregating homeless children into separate schools. Separate is never equal.
Furthermore, we call on the federal and state government to do more to address the root causes of homelessness in our society. We support economic policies that help lift people out of poverty and oppose the present policies that have led to increased poverty in our nation. The needs of homeless children and families have been largely forgotten by politicians at every level of government.
A full copy of the letter can be found here: http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/chuck_currie/2007/09/breaking-news-r.html
Neither Senator Smith nor Senator Wyden ever responded. Governor Kulongoski’s office sent a 1- paragraph e-mail thanking the religious community for sharing their concerns. All three leaders should be ashamed that this crisis has continued to grow on their watch without substantial action.
How much longer will our state wait until we take action to end homelessness among children and families?
