Helping Solve the Puzzle of Youth Homelessness

Beth McCullough is being honored as a Champion of Change for her work to combat homelessness among children and youth.

The woman who hired me 11 years ago said "I don't know if we have any homeless students here, but the Federal Government said we have to hire someone to go find them." The previous year they identified one homeless student in the school district. I spoke to the local shelter and they reported having over 90 students in their shelter that year, most of whom weren't attending school. They didn't know which school to go to or if they were allowed to go to school while in the shelter. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act immediately changed lives in that shelter.

I started finding students in homeless situations outside of the shelter system. I found them in sheds, under porches, in abandoned buildings and "couch surfing." I found the students but I also found a lack of services. The power of their stories reached our community and agencies and individuals came together to find answers.

Food pantries agreed to stay open after school hours. Goodwill Industries, which usually works with individuals with disabilities, started an employment program for homeless unaccompanied youth. Collaborative efforts formed a program much like a foreign exchange student program, except a family takes in a homeless student. It is called "Roadmap to Graduation" and to date 100% of students in that program have graduated. Our Head Start program added a Head Start Family Worker to our largest shelter and doubled the number of homeless students in Head Start.

Shining a Light Through the Tunnel of Homelessness

Margaret Schuelke is being honored as a Champion of Change for her work to combat homelessness among children and youth.

DeKalb County, Georgia school social workers report that the number of students identified as homeless has increased by approximately forty percent over the past three years, surpassing over 2,000 students last year. This figure alone creates a compelling case for why taking new and creative steps to address family homelessness is absolutely necessary.

However, a statistic from the State Report Card on Homelessness creates an even greater sense of urgency.  According to the report, less than 25% of homeless students in this country graduate from high school. This highlights the long-lasting, negative effects of homelessness on educational achievement, and in turn, on long-term prospects for financial stability.

At Project Community Connections, Inc. (PCCI), we believe there is a light at the beginning, middle, and end of the tunnel through homelessness, and we want to help shine that light. By partnering with other mission-minded people and organizations, PCCI helps families prevent, endure, and overcome homelessness. These organizations offer an array of vitally important, high quality services, but alone they are not enough to meet the many needs of most families experiencing homeless. That is why partners, who are equally committed to bringing hope, housing and wholeness, are critical to our mission.

The Promise of 'This Land Is Your Land'

Paul Hamann is being honored as a Champion of Change for his work to combat homelessness among children and youth.

I am incredibly honored and moved to have been named a White House Champion of Change. I believe, though, that this honor really needs to go to the staff and volunteers of The Night Ministry whom I just so happen to have the privilege and thrill of leading on a daily basis, as the organization’s President and CEO. The staff and volunteers are the ones who are the true champions, either directly working with clients to help them change their lives or working behind the scenes to support the mission of The Night Ministry. It is my passion and privilege to lead, develop, and to sustain the organizational context in which their work takes place. When I reflect upon my work, I really think I am one of the luckiest people in the world.

The song “This Land is Your Land” contains the following lyrics: “This land is your land. This land is my land . . . This land was made for you and me.” When I hear these words, I cannot help but think that, for some of our communities’ members, they are hollow words. Homeless youth often don’t experience or feel the promise of these lyrics. These youth who are on the streets, who are couch surfing from one friend’s home to another, who are squatting in vacant buildings, or who are exchanging sexual favors for a “safe” place to spend the night are often ignored or cast aside. Much of society doesn’t even recognize them. To realize the dream that claiming a part of the land is supposed to carry with it seems impossible for them.