During the 2008-2009 school year, Spotsylvania (296 homeless students) and Stafford (286 homeless students) obtained American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants through VDOE through the Project Hope program that seeks to provide customized services to homeless students in communities across the Commonwealth.
The city of Fredericksburg (113 homeless students), Caroline (59 homeless students) and King George (52 homeless students) counties did not receive these funds in 2008-2009. While highlighting the degree of homelessness in our area among youth, this data also raises questions about serving the needs of homeless students in the greater Fredericksburg area.
What are the specific needs of homeless students, both in and out of the school environment, across our area?
What more can the schools, social services and other agencies do to support these youth?
What can we do as a community to support homeless youth – whether or not our local school systems receive these funds?
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2 comments:
It has been my experience that homeless students need Food, supplies, acceptance and stability. McKinny Vento Act is great! but not every is educated about it properly. Stafford and Spotsy have done extensive training on this topic and how provide services and to utilize the funds for these students.
I think if we educate our teachers as well as the PTA about what services are out there these students will then utilize them.
Elementary, middle, and high schools are difficult enough socially and academically. For a homeless student to enter these institutions and find acceptance and succeed is TOUGH. For these students to be totally included in middle and high school, there CANNOT be fees to participate in after-school sports. These students also need safe places to go to complete their homework and the resources in which to do so (such as a computer, which are increasinly required in curriculae, and even simply pencils and paper). Our community could create spaces in each area in which students could go to do these things...but I don't know where or how this would be possible...
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