MAPLEWOOD, Missouri (AP) -- When a friend of Randi Miller's daughter started
coming around to do laundry and sit down for family meals, it soon became
clear the teenager hid a secret.
Like more than 100,000 U.S. high school students, the teen was homeless, a
stressful situation that makes her less likely to graduate and potentially
leads to social and psychological problems.
"It's not supposed to be like this," said Miller, who lives in this St.
Louis suburb. "Students need to focus on school, not where their next meal
is coming from."
The teen and a few others will be ideal candidates for a new group home for
homeless students expected to open this school year. The public school
district sponsoring it is possibly the first in the country to take on such
a project.
The Maplewood-Richmond Heights district recently made a down payment on a
$250,000 home in a quiet, working-class neighborhood near the high school. A
church has agreed to staff it with pastors in training and an area hospital
would provide a therapist.
School Superintendent Linda Henke said the idea has probably crossed the
minds of school administrators and teachers who encounter homeless students
every school year. But making it a reality, Henke said, is far more
difficult.
"We've all thought, 'I wish I could just take you home with me,"' she said.
"We're not taking over their lives. We're going to give them Sunday through
Friday stability."
When an anonymous businessman donated $10,000 in seed money for the effort,
Joe's Place was born in his honor as a sort of boarding house for homeless
students.
Brian Q. Newcomb, a pastor in Maplewood, is part of the faith community that
has responded to the school's proposal and has met with other leaders
recently to make the project a reality.
Critics argue that while the school district's plan is admirable, it steps
out of bounds ......................................
rest of story at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/07/28/homeless.students.ap/index.html
Mary Croix Ludwick, Librarian K-5
Thomas Haley Elem, Irving, Texas (near Dallas)
ludwick@swbell.net (home address)
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