A Special Housing Program

Some of the students in front of  McCarver Elementary.

School districts in low income sections of major US cities frequently deal with the complexity in the lives of students who experience frequent homelessness. There is the low self esteem, the frequent changes of schools, the struggle to master a new system of learning, only to move on and start over again. Students who are frequently homeless have lower attendance rates than their more stable peers and score lower on standardized tests of school proficiency.

Into that wide gap stepped a pilot program, the MCCARVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIAL HOUSING PROGRAM, a partnership between the school district and the TACOMA HOUSING AUTHORITY. It addresses the issue of struggling families by providing supports for housing costs, assistance with helping parents get job training to seek better employment, and providing academic and nonacademic supports for the children. Families sign a contract to remain in the district, so their children can attend the same schools while they participate in the program.

Some of the kids at McCarver Elementary summer camp showing Comcast executives their tech skills.

This program is helping the family of Bobby Gantt and his wife. He lives with four stepchildren from Ms. Gantt's previous relationships and two additional children since the two married. Mr. Gantt, who was a short-order cook and had served time in prison, had been unable to find work. The family was used to moving from one temporary living situation to another. The program enabled him to get training as a commercial truck driver, which he just completed and he has had several job offers to consider. Two of the children attend McCarver Elementary, but the program has benefited all of the children, especially in the important area of increasing stability.

Some of the supports being provided to the Gantts include assistance with paying for utilities, connecting the Gantts with charitable groups who provided Christmas gifts for the children, Thanksgiving food baskets, identifying educational financial aid sources, and a day out at the Seattle Art Museum. Other families may also receive mental health services, home furnishings, and transportation assistance. The school also offers an after-school program and free summer day camps.



Yes, it takes this sort of effort to help families change their trajectory. According to Michael Power, who managed the educational programs for the housing authority, "The appeal of the project is that it was a much more holistic approach to dealing with the challenges that kids had, that were much deeper, and more complicated than any test score could ever show you."

Some of the kids enjoying an after school meal provided by Food Connection.

Is this something that should spread to other areas? There are a number of areas around the country that are watching with interest. According to Michael Mirra, executive director of the Tacoma Housing Authority, "If we turn out to be even half right with out plausible expectations about this partnership that we're building, it should be very interesting to other housing authorities and school districts, and certainly to the ones that face similar challenges."

If you ask the Gantts, this program has brought them renewed hope and energy. It especially makes a difference in the children's lives. Says Mr. Gantt. "Kids, they feel things. We wanted to make sure these kids didn't carry our burdens." If any program deserves funding, this is one of them. An F-35 plane that doesn't work just doesn't cut it, when we can support the future of children, instead.

Bobby Gantt meeting his son where the school bus lets him off.

Thanks to this article from Huffington Post, reprinted from Education Week: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/30/tacoma-washington-homeless-students_n_6397776.html?ir=Impact&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000054.

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