Welcome Center:
The Homeless Family and School

A Tale of Two Families

Kristin and Samantha wake up in their own bedrooms. Every morning they shower, put on clean clothes and head downstairs. They have a conversation with their parents over breakfast. Mom or Dad makes sure Kristin has a sack lunch before she gets on the bus to her 5th grade classroom and Samantha has the money she needs before driving off to high school.

Jon and David wake up on the floor in their uncle's living room, because their mom got the couch. They put on the same clothes they've already worn once this week from the unwashed pile in the corner. There is no time to shower, since 12 people are waking up at the same time. They leave for school with nothing but undone homework in their backpacks.

Most of the time Jon skips his breakfast at his elementary school since he'd rather play; David doesn't want to be seen in his high school breakfast line with the "losers" so he skips this meal every day.

At the final morning bell, Kristin is sitting next to Jon. Samantha is sitting next to David.

• Which kids are ready to learn?
• Which ones are not ready to do much more than go back to sleep?

What I find so heartbreaking is how difficult daily life is for kids from a homeless family...how unfair the situation is from their perspective. They have to work so hard to be even a little bit "normal"...and to have even a slight chance at being successful at school.

I'm not finding blame here; that is not the purpose of this action center. I understand the extreme difficulties of economy-driven job loss, of bad choices that affect others, of all the reasons why Kristen and Samantha and Jon and David end up in a homeless family.

My purpose here is very focused on those homeless children who walk into our classrooms every day...children who need the best chance we can give them to succeed in school.

Teachers Are the Key

We can't change their homeless family situation, but we can help more than most teachers understand.

This action center is for all homeless students, Kindergarten through 12th grade.

And don't think for a moment that kids in high school aren't still "children"...at least a little bit. I've raised two kids and I know: they still need us - a lot - beyond the age of 18.

Teachers can help kids from a homeless family feel "normal" at school. It may only be for six hours a day, but those six hours are the difference between success and failure.

It's time for us to take action. And that's what this center is all about.

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