Homeless families urged to seek help without fear of losing children

Oct. 08--There are about 4,487 homeless students from pre-kindergarten through high school identified in the state, and those numbers are on the rise.

But officials aren't sure if it's a true increase or if schools are getting better at reporting such situations, said Louis Tallarita, who oversees the rights of such children as the state's McKinney Vento coordinator.

Regardless of the trend, the need is great, shelter operators say, and there are many complex systems in place to assure the needs of children are met. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has made it a priority to help as many homeless families as possible by December.

The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, in place for some 30 years, protects the rights of such children to education, and financial help with supplies, clothes and lunches, and from discrimination.

Tallarita said the count of 4,487 homeless students throughout Connecticut was for 2016-17 school year. According to the state statistics from last school year, the number of homeless students in area municipalities include: 274 in Bridgeport; 40 in Middletown; 47 in Torrington; 28 in Branford; 34 in Hamden; 12 in Milford; 23 in West Haven, 38 in Danbury. Towns with six or fewer homeless students are not disclosed.

Tallarita said homelessness includes several scenarios: those living in shelters, cars, motels, parks, unsheltered areas, campgrounds and those doubled up living with friends or family.

The state numbers for primary nighttime residence of those students show 1,070 are in shelters or transitional housing; 2,872 are doubled up or living with another family; 57 are unsheltered -- living in cars, parks, campgrounds, temporary trailer, or abandoned buildings; 488 are in hotels or motels.

It is considered in the best interest of homeless children to stay in their home school for consistency, but there is also a school choice policy in which parents can petition for children to attend the school district in which they are homeless if it's different than the one they came from.

Tallarita said some people aren't aware of their rights and so parents are hesitant to report they are homeless.

"Some don't consider themselves homeless if they aren't living in shelter or on (the) street," Tallarita said. "The law is in place to serve and protect children's ability to stay in school."

Every school system has a coordinator in place under the federal law to help keep kids stay in school, get them services, remedial assistance if needed, and supplies. Federal funds are available to school systems.

Tallarita said there's a "stigma" attached to homelessness and parents are afraid their case will be referred to the state Department of Children and Families and they will lose their kids. But Tallarita said that's a misconception, because being homeless does not in itself qualify as abuse and neglect, although living in a car may under some circumstances be considered unsafe.

Tallarita said DCF may be able to help with resources.

Dierdre DiCara, executive director of the FISH shelter and food pantry in Torrington , said the need is great in Northwest Connecticut. She said more than 500 families used the food pantry last year and that translates to more than 1,700 people.

"For a family, it's such a dilemma because families want to stay together," she said. "They are so worried about DCF."

DiCara said when children with families move into the shelter, they try to determine where their subsidized or low-income housing will be, and they get the children into that community's school system. She said she recently had a family from Winsted with three teenagers who wanted to move back to Winsted, so the bus came to the shelter so they could stay in the schools in that community.

Parents aware of residency statutes that require children to live in the district where they attended school are fearful if they are homeless and out of district their kids will be taken out of their home school. But the federal act protects them from that, Tallarita said.

Last year, 2,000 students from Puerto Rico and other areas hit by storms came to the state, so this year numbers will likely be higher, he said.

New Haven spokesman Laurence Grotheer said the city's school district receives a "very modest amount of funding through a series of three-year grants," to help with it's approximately 721 homeless students, as of last year. Grotheer said that figure includes 212 evacuees from Puerto Rico displaced by Hurricane Maria.

"Homeless students are enrolled in the general population; the district provides some school supplies and solicits donations for other accessories like coats, hats, gloves, as needed... transportation to and from school is provided by the district," Grotheer said.

NHPS has a districtwide McKinney-Vento liaison to state officials, as well as a designated McKinney-Vento liaison in each school to help individual homeless students with any other wraparound services they need, Grotheer said.

Jennifer Paradis, executive director of Beth El Center shelter in Milford, said she encourages families who are homeless with no place to go to call the 211 hotline.

"We want people to come in for shelter and accept services," Paradis said.

Paradis said the shelter has a system to bring in families the same day, and that there is a complex system in prioritizing for children, including family housing navigators in New Haven trying to remedy homelessness in cars.

"It's a shocking number," she said of the homeless student statistics.

Paradis said the staff works closely with homeless students to ensure success. Beth El has a family shelter that houses six families and can expand space in crisis to house more in other areas.

"It is critical that education be a constant in life," for those dealing with housing insecurity and family displacement, Paradis said.

She said working with homeless students requires "advocacy and negotiation," on the student's behalf, including making sure they are performing well.

"We work in partnership with others, we do everything in our power to partner," Paradis said. "This is a child experiencing something overwhelming in their lives."

Paradis said homelessness looks different in different situations.

"The important piece is there's a lot of coordinated effort," she said, and the work is to prioritize, identify issues.

She said summer is when there is the most impact on children because there is an increase in family destabilization. Kids being around more at home causes stress of more noise and higher food costs. For that reason, shelters usually see an influx of students at the beginning of the school year.

"It takes a lot of education of the school system," she said.

DiCara agreed that summer brings stresses and "doubling up" with others doesn't always last. She said a couple from Litchfield served by the shelter arrived because it became too stressful for a grandparent with whom they lived. The mom and dad had a 3-year-old and a baby, and both parents lost their jobs. The scenario had a happy ending, she said, as both parents later found jobs and housing.

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