Schools fail to meet homeless students’ needs
Under state and federal law, homeless students are entitled to basic supports and services at their schools. But a report released today by the Chicago Coalition for the homeless shows that many homeless youth are not getting the help the need. In a time of pinched budgets, districts have struggled to provide those services.
Rene Heybach, director of The Law Project at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, joins us in studio. Plus, Deb Dempsey, the head of homeless education at the Kane County Regional Office of Education, joins the conversation.
Former homeless student shares his story
It may be hard to believe there are 54,892 homeless students in Illinois. A new report out today by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless looks at how that number has grown and how school districts are struggling to help those students. WBEZ producer Becky Vevea talked to one young man who experienced homelessness in the Chicago suburbs. This is his story.