Student homelessness is growing in Grant County.
The Indiana Youth Institute held a “Youth Worker Café” program on the first floor of the Family Service Society building in downtown Marion, the event was attended by dozens of workers from various community organizations throughout Grant County.
“We provide low-cost services to 10,000 youth workers throughout Indiana,” said IYI East Central Indiana Outreach Manager Alison Palmer. “The main goal with this event was to educate people on the issue of student homelessness in our communities, and the resources that are available to help students that are homeless.”
Family Service Society Executive Director Lisa Dominisse said that there are a number of misconceptions people have when they think of student homelessness.
“Sometimes people think these are students living under bridges,” said Dominisse. “That is not the case. A lot of the times these are students that got kicked out of the home by their parents because of behavioral issues; they might also have no feeling of security at home so they go live with friends. We also have seen multiple families that live together, causing difficult situations for the students to live in. Some students live in cars or in motels. It can be a variety of things that are causing issues for these students.”
Here in Grant County 232 students were identified as homeless during the 2013-2014 school year, that is up from 178 during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
CEO and Founder of Outreach Inc. Eric Howard spoke at the event about the many things that homeless students may be going through.
“They could have come from a house that had no utilities,” said Howard. “Some of these students were encouraged to leave, and some have been in youth centers and they come home and their family has left them.”
A recent study done by Outreach Inc. says that 43 percent of the homeless students they deal with were told to leave. Howard says he also deals with homeless students that left the home because of parent employment issues.
“They leave the home to find work, but it can be extremely difficult for a homeless student to find work,” said Howard.
Howard also mentioned that homeless students are at risk for a multitude of issues when they actually try to survive on their own. A study from Canada shows that homeless students who are unaccompanied for long periods of time have a greater probability of committing violent crimes.
“These students have food insecurity, health issues including a higher risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases,” said Howard. “They also experience problems when it comes to getting an education and overcoming barriers in life.”
Marion Community Schools McKinney-Veto homeless liaison Barb Nehring told attendees of the event that in order to make an impact in a homeless student’s life it is about being willing to make connections with the students.
“You have to come along side the students,” said Nehring. “You can’t be afraid to delve into what the students need. You want to be there to help them find what they need to get past some of these barriers so that they can continue with their education, or find a job.”
Dominisse said that helping these students isn’t just about finding them a place to live, it is about helping the student understand that you care about them and that you will stand by them.
“Teens are resilient and really all you need to do is come to a common understanding about what that student needs to be more successful,” said Dominisse. “Then you need to continue to support them.”