Improving education options for Philly’s homeless kids

Trying to improve educational opportunities for homeless kids, Temple University hosted a “Students Without A Home” summit in Philadelphia Friday.

 

The first step is laying out the options, says Joe Willard, vice president of public policy for the People’s Emergency Center, one of the summit organizers.

“When families come into our emergency housing program, most likely they do not know that they are eligible for services,” he said. “And actually, yesterday, I got a call from a young lady who was working with a child who got kicked out of her house and wanted to stay in school and didn’t know how to do that.”

Willard says the People’s Emergency Center provides emergency housing, mentorship, and other support services for homeless youth and individuals.

Other speakers at the summit say most people don’t know that kids who wind up homeless are allowed to stay in their school until they find a permanent place to live. If necessary, they can finish the year before switching schools.