Last week, we received a call from one of our local Elementary Schools. A 2nd grade student, let’s call her Ana, had been evicted from her home and her family was sleeping on the floor at a different friend’s house each night. Each day Ana was coming to school a little bit later, the school worried that she might stop coming altogether.
After talking to Ana’s mom, the SHIP team jumped into action. We formed a plan to keep Ana in school for the rest of the month by arranging transportation, providing weather appropriate clothing, and delivering hygiene items like soap and shampoo. Ana has been at school on time every day this week.
We also made a plan with the family to keep them safe and cared for during the upcoming break, ensuring that they have the resources they need while schools are closed. Ana’s mom worked with us to apply to several low-income apartments and to follow up with the paperwork she needed but didn’t have. Our Spanish speaking staff helped Ana to understand applications that only existed in English, a language she was struggling to learn. SHIP helped her to move quickly so that her family would only experience homelessness for the shortest time possible.
More than 1,000 Frederick County Public School students experienced homelessness in 2024.
There are so many more students just like Ana’s who need our help to stay connected to education. Those who don’t graduate from high school are more than 3.5 times more likely to experience homelessness as adults. If we keep our youth in school, we can break the cycle of homelessness.