WA boost in student homelessness funding reaches more districts
By Greg Kim, The Seattle Times
Washington school districts and nonprofits are creating programs or expanding existing ones to help homeless students this year after state lawmakers doubled funding for that purpose.
The Homeless Student Stability Program grew by $4.6 million to total $9 million — an unprecedented increase for a 7-year-old program whose funding has generally hovered around $4 million. State lawmakers said they recognized both the program’s effectiveness and the need for it to reach more students after a series by Project Homeless that showed where homeless students were being left behind and ways that schools could support them.
The state has identified almost 40,000 homeless students, almost surely an underestimate. Their graduation rates are 20% lower on average and they face among the highest rates of suspension and expulsion, among other obstacles that contribute to making them more likely to be homeless as adults.
North Thurston Public Schools showed an effective use of state and federal money. It hired “student navigators,” staff who provide one-on-one support for homeless high school students, including finding housing and monitoring their grades. Through this program, North Thurston increased the graduation rate of its homeless students by almost 20% within a few years.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/wa-boost-in-student-homelessness-funding-reaches-more-districts/
= new reply since forum marked as read
