Helping our homeless children live, learn and thrive

With high unemployment and home foreclosures, educators are seeing an increase in the number of homeless families and students. There are 3,924 homeless children in Fresno County. The Homeless Education Services Program supports improving the educational outcomes for children who are in homeless situations, otherwise known as students in transition. The goal is to maintain educational stability when other aspects of their lives are unstable. Schools can help maintain educational stability by allowing a child to attend the same school even when their living situation is unstable and they move out of the school boundaries.

Students who are homeless often leave their belongings behind. School books and backpacks can be lost and families often do not have the financial resources to replace these items. With the generous donation from FEED THE CHILDREN organization, FCOE will distribute over 960 backpacks to Fresno County students who are homeless. The backpacks include school and hygiene supplies, snack items and books.

Services available through the Homeless Education Services Program include school and community professional development and assistance to school districts. The program provides guidance to districts so they can provide awareness of students’ needs to support school attendance, provide school supplies, tutoring, or help provide transportation to school. The graduation rates and educational outcomes for our foster youth continue to improve because of the educational supports of this program.