CPS Archives - Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Chalkbeat: Many of Chicago’s migrant students may be entitled to bus service. But are schools telling them?

Posted on January 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by Ella Weaver

The 60-day shelter rule is “going to require families to move more often, and it makes it more challenging to get to the school of origin and stay stable in their school of origin,” said Patricia Nix-Hodes, director of the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “If they are eligible for hardship transportation, they should be getting it.”

“The onus isn’t on the family who is newly arrived to Chicago to figure out what services might be available for transportation,” Patricia Nix-Hodes, director of the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless said.

City, CPS announce $500 grants for students experiencing housing instability

Posted on September 10, 2021September 30, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

A new program will provide eligible CPS students with funding to assist with educational, living, and other expenses.

By Alyssa Phillips, Education Attorney

This week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Interim Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Dr. José M. Torres announced the creation of the Chicago Families Forward Fund. It will provide a $500 microgrant to CPS students experiencing housing insecurity to assist with needs that families and students are facing.

This funding is critical and a step in the right direction as families and students experiencing homelessness have faced housing instability, job loss, loss of family members and serious health issues during the pandemic. All Chicago families and students need housing and other resources to succeed in school. The direct, flexible payments to CPS families and students experiencing homelessness will allow families and students to address a variety of unique and urgent needs.

As CPS identification of homeless students drops, CCH offers recommendations

Posted on August 19, 2021August 31, 2021 by Vanessa Álvarez

By Alyssa Phillips, Education Attorney

The number of students identified as homeless in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) declined 34% since the 2018-19 school year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and school districts nationwide faced unprecedented challenges. School districts, including CPS, implemented remote, hybrid, and in-person learning models as COVID-19 cases and deaths ravaged communities, hitting communities of color especially hard. In CPS, it was particularly challenging for schools to identify and serve students experiencing homelessness.