‘Safe, supported and ready to learn’: Delaware advocates push rental voucher pilot for students experiencing homelessness

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Hundreds of kids in Delaware are homeless. But a proposed pilot program could help some of them move into stable housing.

State Rep. Kim Williams, D-Stanton, housing and education advocates are championing an effort to fund rental vouchers for dozens of families with school-aged kids living in motels or shelters.

It would cost $800,000 in the fiscal year 2027 budget and serve 50 families. It’s been endorsed by the Delaware State Education Association.

According to the 2025 Point in Time Count by the Housing Alliance of Delaware, 1,585 people statewide were experiencing homelessness, unsheltered or in some kind of temporary housing. Children under 18 made up about 27% of the homeless population.

Karen Eller, a middle school teacher at Maurice Pritchett Academy in Wilmington, calls housing a human right. Pritchett has one of the highest student poverty rates in the state. She said a number of her students have experienced homelessness.

“I’ve seen firsthand the barriers families are up against when trying to navigate an extremely complex system,” Eller said. “While there are many resources out there, many are hard to access in real time, out of reach, especially when a family is in an active crisis.”

Williams, who is the vice chair of the Joint Finance Committee, the legislative budget writing body, said she hopes her fellow committee members will support the $800,000 needed for the pilot program.

She said that amount is less than half of 1% of the additional $196 million that the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council recently projected the state will have for the fiscal 2027 budget.

Williams said that kids in stable housing are more likely to attend school and do better in class.

“Without stability in a home, it is easy to understand why these students struggle to meet academic goals,” she said. “Every child deserves the opportunity to come to school feeling safe, supported and ready to learn.”

The pilot program would be administered by the Delaware State Housing Authority. To qualify for the program, families with schoolchildren must be living in a shelter or motel. The program would be limited to those making 50% or less of the area median income. Recipients would have to pay at least 28% of their monthly income and meet work requirements.

Eller and other advocates said they are urging Delaware lawmakers to approve the funding for the program. The legislature must pass a budget by the end of June. State lawmakers start budget markup next week.