ENVISION EQUITY DECEMBER 2015

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Photo, Getty Images

ENVISION EQUITY DECEMBER 2015 

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Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness. An Introduction to the topic. 

By Julie McCullough, University of Louisville (UofL) Practicum Student 

Family homelessness has challenged the United States 

for over thirty years. However many do not visualize 

homeless families and children living in our communities. 

The reality is that a large number homeless 

individuals are under the age of 18. Some of them 

are a part of families experiencing homelessness, 

while others are on their own. 

The first national plan for ending homeless was 

release on 2010 and set specific goals with the 

purpose of ending chronic and veteran homeless by 

2015 and ending family and children homelessness by 

2020. Since the release the number of chronic and 

veteran homeless has been reduced but not the 

number of homeless families and children. 

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

U.S.C. § 11431 et seq.) is a federal law that addresses 

the needs of homeless people, including the 

educational needs of children and youth. This edition 

provides basic information about the scope of the 

problem, the impact of homelessness on education, 

and the rights of children and youth to a public 

education. In addition some articles are designed to 

provide resources for advocates in how to support 

homeless students and their families. 

Scope of the Problem 

Approximately 2.5 million children are estimated to 

experience homelessness each year (National Center 

on Family Homelessness, 2014). Of those 1.2 million 

are students in the public education system (National 

Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), 2014). In 

Kentucky alone, this number has grown as high as 

almost 28,000 students, and in Jefferson County there 

were 6,448 students that experienced homelessness 

during the 2014-2015 school year (Kentucky 

Department of Education (KDE) 2015). These 

students will encounter several barriers that will 

prevent them from accessing the Kentucky Core 

Academic Standards. 

According to, Miller 

(2009) ten percent of 

children whose families 

are poor will experience 

homelessness in a given 

year. Furthermore, 

these children will come 

from a variety of racial 

and ethnic backgrounds and can be found in urban, 

suburban, and rural areas throughout the country. 

In 2013, approximately forty-eight percent of 

homeless families living in shelters were black, twentythree 

percent were white, and another twenty-three 

percent were Hispanic (Child Trends Data Bank, 

2015). However, as depicted in figure one, only 

sixteen percent of students that are homeless live in 

shelters. Seventy-five percent of students 

experiencing homelessness are doubled-up living with 

relatives or another family. Six percent of students 

that are homeless live in hotels or motels, and three 

percent of students experiencing homelessness are 

unsheltered (National Center for Homeless Education 

(NCHE), 2014). Therefore, it can be difficult to 

identify homeless students and their specific 

backgrounds. In Jefferson County alone seventy 

percent of students experiencing homelessness are 

living doubled up with family members or friends 

often making it difficult to identify students that are 

truly in need of support. 

Academic effect/impact of Homelessness 

Students experiencing homelessness are highly mobile 

and face multiple barriers to academic achievement. 

Continued on next page


According to national data, in one year, forty-one 

percent of children experiencing homelessness will 

attend two different schools, and twenty-eight percent 

of these children will attend three or more different 

schools. Unfortunately, each new move can set a 

student back four to six months academically. As a 

result, students that are homeless are more than twice 

as likely to repeat a grade as compared to their nonhomeless 

counterparts (Miller, 2009). In addition, 

twenty-five percent of homeless students will fail at 

least one class, forty-two percent are in jeopardy of 

failing classes, and less than twenty-five percent will 

graduate high school (Sulkowski & Joyce-Beaulieu, 

2014). These numbers are a little better in JCPS, 

where approximately sixty-three percent of homeless 

students graduated high school in 2014 compared to 

seventy-nine percent of their peers. In terms of 

academic scores, thirty-three percent of homeless 

students in Jefferson County tested proficient or 

higher in reading compared to forty-eight percent of 

their non-homeless peers. Likewise, twenty-eight 

percent of homeless students scored proficient or 

higher in math compared to forty percent of their 

peers (Figure 2 & 3). These scores are similar to 

those experienced by homeless students at the 

national and state level as depicted in the graphs 

below (Figure 4 & 5). 

predominately D’s and F’s (Children’s Defense Fund, 

2010). High drop-out rates have also been attributed 

to mental illness in children. According to the 

National Alliance on Mental Illness (2015), 

“approximately fifty percent of students age fourteen 

and older with mental illness drop out of high 

school”. This is a significant problem for students 

that are homeless, of which nearly half will 

experience depression, anxiety, and aggression 

(Biggar, 2001). Due to the mobility, academic 

challenges, attendance barriers, trauma, and 

emotional challenges these students face it is critical 

for schools to not only meet, but exceed the standards 

of the McKinney-Vento law. This will help children 

by ensuring school is at least one place a child can 

obtain security and stability. 

Educational Rights under the McKinney-Vento 

Homeless Act 

The McKinney-Vento Act provides rights and 

protections for homeless students. The legislation’s 

main theme is to ensure educational stability and 

continuity, including allowing homeless children have 

the right to remain in one, stable school environment 

and provide continuous access to educational support 

and services. It provides the right to immediate 

enrollment and full participation in school activities 

for homeless students. 

Students have the right to: 

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Social, Emotional, Behavioral effect of Homelessness 

Research indicates that homeless children are twice 

as likely to experience social and emotional problems 

(Sulkowski, 2014). These emotional and behavioral 

disorders can cause a significant barrier to academics. 

Nelson et al. (2004), found that eighty-three percent 

of students with an emotional or behavioral disorder 

scored below average in math, reading, and writing. 

Furthermore, twenty-five percent of children with 

emotional or behavioral problems have reported 

having difficulty in school, and up to fourteen percent 

of high school students in this situation receive 

Receive a free, appropriate public education. 

Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking 

documents normally required for enrollment. 

Enroll in school and attend classes while the 

school gathers needed documents. 

Enroll in the local attendance 

area school or continue 

attending their school of origin 

(the school they attended when 

permanently housed or the 

school in which they were last 

enrolled), 

Receive transportation to and from the school 

of origin, if requested by the parent, 

guardian, or unaccompanied youth. 

Receive educational services comparable to 

those provided to other students. 

Get access to due progress and dispute 

resolution. 

Source: U.S.C. §11432(g)(3)(H).


This story was published in May 2015 by JCPS students Chris Roussell and John Jean-Marie. They earned top awards from the 

National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for their hard work. 

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Above, JCPS student Giraud Drake, waits for his 

school bus. Photo, Erin Waggon 

In eighth-grade, thirteen yearold 

Giraud Drake (11, HSU) 

entered his new home in 

Newburg; the third of what 

would be five homes since 

moving to Kentucky. Upon 

entering, goosebumps crept up 

on his skin — a reminder of one 

of the simple luxuries his 

mother had hoped to provide: a 

fully-heated home. Because she 

was an African American 

woman, she was constantly 

discriminated against while 

working construction, causing 

her to make less money than her 

male counterparts. The section 

eight housing she was able to 

secure lacked both adequate 

heating and lighting. 

Drake, exhausted after the fortyfive 

minute long TARC ride 

home from football practice, 

immediately headed to the 

kitchen table to start his 

homework. Cloaked in darkness, 

Drake squinted to see papers 

just a few inches from his face. 

The only remaining source of 

light, left over from wire 

complications, seeped into the 

room from upstairs. The 

complications from faulty wiring 

only allowed one level of the 

house to be lit at a time. With 

his mother occupying the 

upstairs, Drake had to finish his 

homework in the near dark. 

After finishing his homework, 

Drake headed upstairs to his 

room. Boxes of clothing lined 

the bedroom wall, untouched 

from their last move. Drake, 

who knew all too well the 

likeliness of relocation, saved 

himself the pain of packing up 

his belongings once again. As he 

sat alone in his room, Drake 

reflected to himself. ‘Nothing is 

right. Nothing is right. Nothing 

is right,’ he thought. 

Drake is not alone. There are 

hundreds of thousands of 

students just like him around the 

nation. 

According to the National 

Center on Family Homelessness 

(NCFH), 1.6 million children 

will experience homelessness 



every year in the United States 

due to issues including 

economic hardship and family 

conflict. 

Safe Horizon, a national victim 

assistance organization, claims 

39 percent of the homeless 

population are children under 

18 years, and 42 percent of 

those children are under age 

five. 

While their peers are busy 

thinking about what they’ll 

have for dinner, homeless 

children wonder it they’ll have 

dinner at all. While other 

students are pondering whether 

or not they should choose the 

cerulean crayon or the robin’s 

egg blue one, homeless kids sit 

with the broken, plain blue, a 

hand me down from their 

teacher. Being homeless will 

affect a person’s entire 

childhood and how they 

function when they are grown. 

NCFH reports that homeless 

children are exposed to more 

violence than normal children; 

therefore, they will become 

more aggressive and antisocial, 

have higher levels of anxiety 

and depression, and have 

increased apprehension. In 

addition, homeless children are 

sick four times more often than 

regular children, are four times 

as likely to show delayed 

development, have three times 

the rate of emotional and 

behavioral problems, and have 

twice the rate of learning 

disabilities. An estimated 5,000 

homeless kids a year will die 

from causes such as assault, 

illness, and suicide. 

Although child homelessness is 

a national issue, some members 

of the public are not 

completely aware of the 

problem. 

When Kyla Drozt (12, J&C) 

heard that Manual has around 

25 homeless students, her jaw 

dropped. 

“I had no idea that that many 

kids were homeless,” Drozt 

said. 

When Drozt thinks of homeless 

students, she immediately 

thinks of kids on the street, or 

kids who move from shelter to 

shelter. 

“I don’t really think too much 

about those not in a shelter or 

not on the street,” Drozt said. 

“I know they are there and that 

it’s a problem, but the street is 

my [mental image] of those 

kids.” 

Neha Srinivasan (11, MST) 

said that she thought child 

homelessness was “not having a 

stable living residence.” 

“It could be moving between 

shelters too,” Srinivasan said. 

“They have nothing of their 

own, and have never been 

anywhere that is their own.” 

Srinivasan works as a volunteer 

with Volunteers of America of 

Kentucky (VOA), which is one 

of the oldest and most diverse 

human service organizations in 

the region, according to VOA 

of Kentucky’s website. 

Because of her volunteerism, 

Srinivasan is more aware than 

most others about child 

homelessness. 

“[Child homelessness] is a 

problem everywhere, and 

although Manual is considered 

a place where a lot privileged 

people go, it is evident here,” 

Srinivasan said. 

Most of those interviewed said 

that when they thought of 

student homelessness, they 

thought of adults living on the 

streets with no food and no 

shelter. 

Rachel Mathis, a mother, said 

that when she thought about 

student homelessness, she 

thought of no stable living 

situation. Her husband, Robert 

Mathis, said he had never really 

thought of the issue before. 

Robert did say that although he 

never thought about it, he does 

see the homeless during his job 

all the time. 

Michelle Leslie (Counselor) 

thinks the public’s perception of 

child homelessness is distorted. 

“Typically when you see the 

news media coverage you have 

a picture in your mind of 

adults,” Leslie said. 

Almost nowhere else is this 

distortion more evident than in 

Kentucky. 

America’s Youngest Outcasts, a 

organization prepared by 

NCFH, reported that in 2013 

the state of Kentucky had the 

eighth worst child homelessness 

composite score in the nation 

and was the worst in the nation 

for the total amount of 

homeless children. 

Also according to the NCFH, 

in 2013, Kentucky had 95.9 

percent of its homeless child 

population in alternate 

housing, and only 4.1 percent 

were truly unsheltered; 

therefore, the majority of 

Kentucky’s homeless child 

population was, and still is, out 

of the public eye. 

Because of Kentucky’s large 

child homeless population, the 

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state’s education system has 

suffered. 

After comparing the average 

2013 ACT score of each state 

to each state’s child homeless 

composite score in 2013, a 

correlation between the extent 

of child homelessness and a 

state’s average ACT score is 

evident. The correlation is 10 

of the 15 states with the 

highest average ACT scores 

also were part of the 15 states 

with the lowest composite 

scores for child homelessness. 

In addition, 8 of the 15 states 

with the lowest average ACT 

scores were in the list of the 15 

states with the highest 

composite scores for child 

homelessness. 

But, in order to get those 

composite scores and reliably 

compare and measure rates of 

child homelessness, 

homelessness needed to be 

clearly defined. 

The JCPS organization 

Homeless Education Program 

(HEP) provides advocacy and 

awareness for homeless 

students within the school 

district and defines homeless 

students as students living in 

any temporary living 

arrangements because of the 

lack of a fixed, regular, and 

adequate nighttime residence. 

This definition was a result of 

the McKinney-Vento Homeless 

Education Assistance Act, 

which is a federal law that 

ensures immediate enrollment 

and educational stability for 

homeless youth, according to 

the office of the 

Superintendent of Public 

Instruction. 

Compared to other counties in 

Kentucky, Jefferson and Harlan 

County were the two school 

districts with the highest 

number of homeless students. 

In 2012-2013, the HEP said 

JCPS started with about 

12,000 homeless children and 

then the number decreased to 

8,318 later in the year. While 

the amount decreased, JCPS 

still had a large gap between its 

child homeless population and 

that of any other district. 

Now, in 2015, Scott Adams of 

the HEP estimated that there 

are 7,000 homeless students in 

Jefferson County which is 

about 7 percent of the student 

population. 

CLOSE TO 

HOME 

According to Laura 

Spiegelhalter (Transition 

Teacher), at any given time in 

Manual there are anywhere 

between 20 and 25 homeless 

students, or 1.3 percent of the 

student population. 

As well as homelessness, an 

alarming indicator of 

economic struggle in JCPS and 

at Manual is the number of 

students on the National 

School Lunch Program 

(NSLP), a program that offers 

free or reduced lunches to 

children at any participating 

school. 

According to the United States 

Government Publishing, to 

qualify for free or reduced 

lunches, a child’s family must 

have an income that is at or 

below certain annually 

adjusted poverty lines. 

Amy Medley (Counselor) said 

that Manual currently has 407 

students — 21 percent of the 

student population — on free 

or reduced lunches. 

While 407 students is a drastic 

amount of Manual’s student 

population, other schools in 

JCPS are even worse off. 

Hazelwood Elementary School 

in the South End has 96 

percent of its student 

population on free or reduced 

lunches, and Frayser 

Elementary School near 

Churchill Downs has 98 

percent of its student 

population, or about 371 of its 

379 students, on free or 

reduced lunches. 

JCPS’ large child homeless rate 

and NSLP student population 

can be attributed to high rates 

of poverty, an extreme lack of 

affordable housing, continuing 

impacts of the 2007-08 

recession, and racial and ethnic 

disparities according to 

America’s Youngest Outcasts. 

Such high rates of both 

homeless children and children 

on the NSLP points to more 

than problems within the 

system. Homeless children are 

forced to focus and thrive in 

environments that set them up 

to fail from the beginning, yet 

some prevail. 

Drake is the perfect example of 

someone who has been able to 

juggle the effects of 

homelessness and the 

responsibilities of being a 

student, despite the 

environmental predispositions. 

Continued on next page 

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Being in a military family, 

Drake moved around quite a 

bit, but that does not mean that 

the moves got any easier. 

“It was hard to make bonds 

with people,” Drake said. “It 

was cool being the new kid, but 

then again it like you always 

have to start over.” 

But, start over they did; 

especially with the move to 

Louisville. 

Drake said that they moved to 

Louisville because they were 

running away from his abusive 

father, and since getting to 

Louisville, his family has moved 

five times. 

Drake’s mother worked 

construction, but eventually 

became unemployed and 

dependent upon food stamps; 

therefore, Drake then had to 

get a job and work to support 

his family. Even with his job, he 

was not able to pull his family 

out of poverty. The family 

would live in neighborhoods 

where drug dealing was 

common. It did not seem as if 

Drake would break the chains 

of his economic deficiencies, 

and this was exemplified in his 

social life and school. 

“I would go to other people’s 

houses and never invite anyone 

over to mine,” Drake said. 

Drake kept most of his 

problems to himself and was 

reserved and too distrustful of 

anyone to tell of his situation. 

This lack of openness led to 

problems with his schoolwork. 

During his freshman year at 

Manual, Drake had around a 

1.85 GPA for the semester, and 

out of eight teachers, only one 

pulled Drake aside and 

questioned how he was doing. 

That teacher was Connie 

Wilcox (Humanities). 

“It’s nothing you can even 

explain, it’s just a vibe and 

when you are around them one 

day, you notice something is 

off,” Wilcox explained. 

Drake had trouble completing 

many assignments because he 

had no internet access at home 

and his mother could not afford 

basic school supplies. 

“Freshman year, we had a 

binder check and I turned in a 

notebook instead. She 

questioned why I didn’t have a 

binder and I told her that I 

wasn’t able to buy a binder,” 

Drake said. 

For Wilcox, Drake’s struggle 

with class deadlines was also a 

tip off that something was 

wrong. 

“I do remember that he would 

spend more than the average 

amount of time completing 

assignments,” Wilcox said. 

In another instance, Drake 

wrote a paper but was not able 

to type it himself, so he had to 

give it to a friend to type it for 

him, which took a toll on him 

emotionally. 

“I was ashamed because I had 

done something myself, but still 

had to ask someone for help,” 

Drake said. “I had nothing to 

call my own.” 

Drake even had to write his 

entrance essay to Manual on a 

piece of paper in pencil. 

Similar to Drake, Jessica (10, 

MST), who has been given an 

alias for her protection, is 

constantly on the move. 

However, her struggles are due 

to an extremely toxic home 

environment that all started 

with an accident. 

During her sixth grade year, 

Jessica’s father had an accident 

that resulted in massive brain 

trauma and permanent brain 

damage, and that traumatized 

her for years to come. 

“I basically watched him die,” 

Jessica said. 

After the accident, Jessica 

quickly realized that she would 

have to become the adult in the 

household. 

Living with a disabled mother 

and father, Jessica had to 

babysit and work from a young 

age in order to pay for rent. 

She was always secretly trying 

to support her parents as well. 

“I use to sneak out of the house 

when I was 12 or 13, when my 

friends would give me money, 

and go to the grocery store and 

buy chocolate for my parents 

and other groceries,” Jessica 

said. 

Jessica would even take some of 

her own profits from 

babysitting and discreetly put 

the money in her parents’ 

wallets. 

Even with combined income of 

Jessica’s work and the added 

federal money to compensate 

for her parents’ disabilities, it 

was not enough to save her first 

home. 

She had to sell most of her 

belongings to make money for 

their next destination, and 

while moving she lost her most 

prized possession, a gift from a 

close friend. 

“I felt as if my childhood had 

been ripped away,” Jessica said. 

And if that were not enough, 

her parents’ mental illnesses did 

away with whatever was left. 



“My parents are my parents, 

but I’ve never felt safe with just 

my mom in the house or alone 

with my dad,” Jessica said. 

“He’s never been [physically] 

abusive, but it’s that paranoia of 

he might turn one day because 

of his brain injury.” 

Along with her fears of 

physicality, her father was also 

verbally degrading to Jessica. 

This, coupled with her mom’s 

occasional suicidal actions and 

lack of parental guidance, 

wrecked Jessica socially. 

Jessica said that last year she 

didn’t know how to act around 

her peers. She made fun of 

people and slapped them 

because it made her feel better. 

Following her social crash came 

an academic catastrophe. 

Jessica was an A and B student 

in middle school, but when she 

arrived at Manual and after her 

father’s accident and move, 

she received her first U. 

Soon, her grades spiraled 

out of control and she began 

receiving straight U’s. 

Freshman year she was bullied 

everyday because of her low 

marks. 

“School for me, at first, was not 

a number one priority because 

I had five bags to my name. 

That’s all I had,” Jessica said. 

But luckily for her, she had her 

best friends to stand by her 

through the hardships. 

“A lot of people that I get close 

to go away because of all my 

problems, so I don’t tell anyone 

my problems but for these two 

people,” Jessica said. 

Her two best friends were there 

to support Jessica. One even 

saved her life after intervening 

in Jessica’s suicide attempt 

because of her verbal abuse 

from her father. 

“We are insanely close,” Jessica 

said. “I wouldn’t be here 

without them.” 

After moving five times, 

between her grandmother’s 

house, apartments, different 

houses, and running away to 

friends’ houses, Jessica is now 

stable and at Safe Place, a 

YMCA service that offers teens 

and young adults in crisis a safe 

place to stay. 

“It’s better to be away and have 

somewhat of a vacation away 

from my parents,” Jessica said. 

She is now protected, has 

changed her lifestyle, and is 

getting good grades. 

“Because I lost everything, it 

really opened my eyes to 

appreciating everything 

“For her, I’m her continuity. I’m her 

stability, and I think in her world, I’m 

her friend.” Finley said 

more and taking life one 

step at a time,” Jessica said. 

Those were Jessica’s personal 

steps, but now for a general 

theory. 

Psychologist Abraham Maslow 

developed a theory called the 

Hierarchy of Needs. The 

Hierarchy of Needs organizes 

our motives in life into a 

pyramid, and one must 

complete the needs for each tier 

to move to the next level in the 

pyramid. According to the 

Myer’s Psychology for AP textbook, 

there are six tiers in this order 

from bottom to top: the need to 

satisfy hunger and thirst, the 

need to feel safe, the need to 

love and be loved, the need for 

self-esteem, achievement, and 

respect, the need to live up to 

our potential, and the need to 

find meaning beyond the self. 

The individual is supposed to 

move from the first tier all the 

way to the last tier. 

Although the order of needs is 

not universally fixed, which 

means we bounce from tier to 

tier, the theory still raises an 

interesting point: if these 

homeless students are not even 

reaching the needs of the 

bottom most basic tiers, then 

they will never be able to get to 

the top tiers and develop 

correctly. 

Helping 

Hands 

When the final bell 

rings at 2:20, Nicole 

Finley (English) 

drives down to 

Hotel Louisville and 

continues to live out 

her passion for 

teaching students. 

Hotel Louisville is located 

downtown and is as a hotel for 

visitors as well as transition 

housing for homeless families 

struggling to get back on their 

feet. Inside the hotel, Finley, or 

“Mrs. Nicole” as the kids in the 

shelter call her, has her own 

hotel room that serves as the 

tutoring room for students. One 

of whom is Brooke, or 

“Brookster” as Finley 

affectionately calls her. 

Brooke, a spunky, strongly 

opinionated, seven-year-old 

second-grader at Trunnell 

9 



Elementary, started attending 

tutoring sessions at Hotel 

Louisville for assistance in 

reading, writing, and math. 

She has a country twang and 

a contagious energy. But, 

unlike most of the students 

tutored by Finley, Brooke does 

not live in the shelter. 

Brooke lives with her 

grandmother because she is 

unable to live with her 

separated parents. Her father 

was involved in drugs, and her 

mother was in and out of jail. 

While her mother now lives in 

a halfway house, she does not 

want Brooke to be exposed to 

that environment. 

Prior to attending tutoring 

sessions, Brooke was receiving 

“Needs Improvement” marks 

on her report cards. 

“She was doing horribly in 

school when I got her,” Finley 

admitted. 

Finley then joked about 

Brooke’s conduct. Trunnell 

measures behavior by color — 

green for good, red for bad. 

“She reached black on the 

school’s color chart…I didn’t 

even know black was a color 

on the chart! She was 

completely out of control.” 

Slowly the process started. 

The door to Finley’s tutoring 

service is open four days a 

week, and after a while, 

Brooke was attending all four 

days. This long-term close 

proximity allowed a beautiful 

friendship to blossom between 

the tutor and student. 

“For her, I’m her continuity. 

I’m her stability. And, I think 

in her world, I’m her friend,” 

Finley said. 

Another reason why their 

friendship works is the 

constant laughter shared 

between the two. 

“Even when you are getting 

on her butt she makes you 

laugh.” Finley said. 

During the five month period 

Brooke has been attending 

tutoring, she has experienced 

a radical transformation in her 

school performance and 

conduct. 

“One morning, I received a 

phone call from Brooke’s 

grandmother telling me 

Brooke didn’t want to go to 

school,” Finley said. 

It turned out that Brooke was 

sad because she didn’t see 

Finley the night before at 

tutoring and got worried. 

“[Brooke] started balling on 

the phone, and [Brooke] 

started screaming, ‘I was 

worried about you! You didn’t 

call me or talk to me!’” Finley 

said. 

Little did Finley know, Brooke 

had planned a little surprise 

for her beloved tutor. 

“She comes into the hotel and 

she sees me and runs down 

the hallway to me, and what 

does she have in her hand? A 

report card.” Finley said. She 

smiled and laughed to herself 

as she recollected this. 

“Brooke had gotten all O’s 

and a few S’s!” Finley 

exclaimed. 

Those grades are nearly the 

best Brooke can do for her 

grade level. 

“That’s the whole thing: she 

wanted me to see the report 

card,” Finley said. “I feel like 

we accomplished it together.” 

Then, Finley had a sudden 

realization. 

“I didn’t realize how 

important I was to her. I didn’t 

realize, but I knew how 

important she was to me,” 

Finley said. 

In one swift motion, the 

person who typically inspires 

had become inspired. And by 

a seven year old with a bit of 

sass. 

“She gives me hope. I admire 

her and her perseverance to 

not give up, because so many 

kids do,” Finley said. “That 

little girl is my baby. I would 

take her! She’s mine!” 

In addition to Finley, another 

individual has made a huge 

impact on Hotel Louisville: 

Maureen Boyd. 

After someone stole her 

possessions while she was 

attempting to travel home to 

Boston in 1990, Boyd found 

herself stranded and homeless 

in Louisville. Boyd went to 

Wayside Christian Mission for 

assistance and after two years 

there, the shelter offered her a 

job. She is now the Family 

Shelter Coordinator for Hotel 

Louisville. 

“I love helping people. I really 

do,” Boyd said. “That’s my 

passion: to see people succeed 

and make it in this world. I 

want them to see the best 

there is out there. I want them 

to know the sky is yours. You 

gotta reach for it…you gotta 

earn it,” Boyd said. 

And Boyd practices what she 

preaches. 

She is warm, but firm; critical, 

but constructive; continually 

offering advice and motivation 

for all of those around her to 

10 



succeed; the epitome of an 

authoritative figure. Although 

her love for the kids in the 

shelter is unconditional, her 

roots in a no-nonsense family 

means she does not hesitate 

when it comes to discipline. 

No matter what trouble the 

kids give her, she’s always 

going to give love to them, be 

kind to them, and guide them. 

Even though her discipline is 

handed out swiftly and often, 

kids know it is out of love. 

Boyd has seen thousands of 

children throughout her 23 

years at Hotel Louisville, and 

said that when some of the 

kids arrive, they are very angry. 

“They are embarrassed to be 

here because they can be 

teased and bullied,” Boyd said, 

and in the case of Ty and La- 

Shawn, that is exactly what 

happened. 

One boy squirmed in his chair, 

restless, while the other stared 

blankly at the floor; head filled 

with thoughts of candy. Both 

of them could not care less 

about what they were doing. 

They cared about where they 

were and why they were there. 

During their interview, the 

juxtaposition between the 

brothers became clear. Ty, the 

younger of the two brothers, 

was extremely outgoing and, 

for lack of a better term, silly; 

La-Shawn was more reserved 

and shy, only occasionally 

making eye contact mumbling 

back half an answer to a 

question. 

Ty usually exerts all of his 

spunk and energy by playing 

with remote control cars (the 

ones that the other child 

residents hadn’t broken) and 

practicing football, which he’s 

most likely passionate about 

because of his love for 

University of Louisville sports. 

On the other hand, La-Shawn 

would much rather spend his 

time thinking about someday 

owning a Ford Mustang and 

playing with his transformers. 

But, besides being so different 

in personality, the brothers had 

plenty in common. Both loved 

to play games on tablets, both 

hated to share, both loved 

candy (too much), and, most 

importantly, both were 

homeless and lived in the 

shelter on the fourth floor of 

Hotel Louisville. 

As the interview continued, 

La-Shawn continued to 

complain about the lack of 

candy in his hands, and Ty 

persisted with a barrage of 

random noises and 

movements. All was normal, or 

as normal as it could get. Each 

question was routinely 

answered with boisterous 

responses from Ty, soft 

murmurs from La-Shawn, and 

the occasional interruption or 

playful remark. But, as soon as 

their father was mentioned, 

both boys fell silent, their heads 

and eyes glued to the floor. 

Seconds passed as if they were 

years and the pair shifted 

uncomfortably in their chairs. 

Then, only one brother spoke, 

and it only took him four 

words — a little over a second 

— to express the brothers’ 

combined pain. 

“He messed us over,” Ty 

whispered. 

And that was it. 

Tywan, or Ty, and La-Shawn 

are two of three brothers in 

their family. They live in the 

shelter with their mother and 

baby brother, Junior. 

Ty, a third grader, and La- 

Shawn, a fifth grader, both 

attend King Elementary. 

Before they came into the 

stability of Hotel Louisville, Ty 

and La-Shawn were on the 

move, first at their cousins’ 

house. 

“We were over at our cousins 

house, and they treated us 

wrong,” La-Shawn said. 

La-Shawn and Ty both said 

that while they were there, 

their cousins’ family punished 

them and treated them harshly. 

In addition to being treated 

poorly by family members, La- 

Shawn and Ty were bullied by 

kids at school, and even kids in 

the shelter because of their 

situation with their father, 

whom they left after he 

continually stole money that 

was for family necessities. 

“It just upset me because we 

are both here and we didn’t do 

anything wrong,” La-Shawn 

said. 

Kids at school and at the 

shelter would call them poor, 

make fun of their mother, and 

occasionally physically bully 

them. 

“This morning a kid kicked me 

as I was getting on the bus,” Ty 

said. 

The bullying is not just a 

recent occurrence either. 


11


“I’ve been bullied since 

kindergarten,” La-Shawn said. 

And although grateful for 

Hotel Louisville, La-Shawn 

quietly whispered “No” when 

asked if he liked living there. 

“We want our own place,” La- 

Shawn said determinedly. 

“Yeah! So that we can play 

football in the yard!” Ty 

added. 

Their only hope of getting 

their own home is if their 

mom gets a job within Hotel 

Louisville’s six month window. 

For the time being, she is able 

to use the benefits of the hotel 

to save up for a living space. 

But, until she gets a job and a 

home, the brothers will just 

have to stick to playing football 

on the tablet. 

Knowing that families come 

and go every six months, Boyd 

does what she can to provide 

for the children in the shelter, 

but what happens outside of 

the shelter it is out of her 

hands. 

With that said, schools are one 

of the largest places where 

enrolled homeless children 

spend their time, and schools 

are responsible for the 

development of the children 

within their walls. 

Under the McKinney-Vento 

Act, school districts are 

required to designate a 

homeless liaison to ensure that 

homeless children and youth 

are identified and served. The 

liaison must provide public 

notice to homeless families (in 

the community and at school), 

and facilitate access to school 

services including 

transportation. School districts 

are also required to track their 

homeless students and report 

that data annually to OSPI. 

According to Leslie, the job of 

the counselors is to find 

resources. 

“It depends on what the needs 

are. If it’s a need of clothing, if 

it’s a need of supplies, or if it’s 

a need for food, we have some 

resources that we can give to 

students,” Leslie said. 

Such resources include inschool 

fundraising and outside 

organizations, such as Meals 

on Wheels, Coat Closet, 

Blessings in a Backpack, and 

the Home of the Innocents. 

Regarding more personal 

matters, Leslie said that the 

school cannot actively pursue a 

case unless they have some 

indication that a student is in a 

situation that might call for 

intervention. 

“We have to get some type of 

lead that a student is 

struggling,” Leslie said, and 

one of the very few ways for a 

school to find out is from the 

homeless kids themselves, but 

these kids are not always able 

or willing to confide their 

situation to a school official. 

“They constantly have a chip 

on their shoulder: distrust. ‘I 

don’t know you, I don’t like 

you’,” Finley said. And this 

distrust can create a 

misleading sense of rebellion, 

which perhaps unfairly, 

teachers need to be able to see 

through. 

“Teachers see students more 

awake than their parents do!” 

Finley exclaimed. 

Therefore, teachers have to be 

as in tune to their kids as they 

can be, and teachers need to 

go outside of of their personal 

allotment of time and make 

time to invest in the personal 

lives of their students and 

make them feel as if they are 

cared for and belong to 

something. 

“Just give each child 5 minutes. 

You’d be surprised. It makes a 

difference. Sit down with each 

one of them by yourself. If you 

don’t say anything, then they 

think you don’t care,” Boyd 

said. 

Homeless kids want “to feel 

like you notice,” Finley said, 

and with a good teacher, these 

kids do not feel alone. Finley 

also said that this sense of 

togetherness will cause these 

kids to not feel the pain of 

ostracism, which could make 

homeless kids violent, act 

out,or do things like stealing. 

Although children in all 

schools, especially homeless 

children, need that care, it is 

difficult for teachers, especially 

at an academically rigorous 

school such as Manual. 

John Paul Schuster (Math) said 

that while these healthy 

teacher-student relationships 

are essential, people must keep 

in mind that with certain 

courses, for example math, the 

personal connection that may 

more easily occur in English is 

difficult to come by, and that 

the teachers’ rigid system of 

content deadlines makes it 


12


difficult for in-class personal 

connection. 

In class, there also needs to be a 

line between friend and 

teaching professional 

“You can’t be their friends but 

you certainly should be friendly 

and be part of the support 

system,” Wilcox said. “There 

always has to be an adult in the 

classroom and whether we like 

it or not, it has to be us 

teachers” 

Nonetheless, Finley said 

teachers may indirectly assume 

important parental roles for 

homeless children. “I think we 

forget who we are to the kids [as 

teachers.] We forget who we 

are,” Finley said. 

Therefore, Wilcox structures 

her class in a way that makes 

the students comfortable with 

their peers 

and the 

teacher. 

“One of my 

first goals in this 

class was to create community 

and create an atmosphere of 

trust because especially in here, 

I can’t expect people who have 

never danced in their lives to 

get up in the hall and dance if 

they think everyone including 

me is going to be laughing at 

them.” 

Wilcox made it a point this year 

to give students that she wished 

she had connected better with 

to call them by name, to display 

their work in the room, to call 

on them when she know they 

had the right answer, to try to 

give them immediate attention, 

“I can’t imagine why anyone would be 

in this profession if he or she didn’t 

care about kids.” Wilcox said 

and to foster a better 

relationship between her and 

the student. 

Wilcox also loves the support 

from teachers at Manual and 

said, “We’re a network, and if 

something goes on in one class, 

we usually hear about it and we 

work together to take care of 

our kids.” 

Finley’s class structure is similar 

to Wilcox’s in the respect that 

both put emphasis on healthy 

student-teacher relationships 

and what it means to their 

students. 

“The hope for these kids is that 

they rise above their 

circumstances and don’t let 

their circumstance define who 

they are,” Finley said. 

“These homeless kids, when 

they go to school lots of times, 

that is their home. It can be any 

school. Whatever school they’re 

assigned to, that’s their home. 

That’s where 

they’re going to 

unfortunately 

get a lot of 

times the most 

love,” Finley said. 

And that is exactly where Jessica 

gets her love. 

“I don’t necessarily have a life 

of my own,” Jessica said. Jessica 

said she feels as if her life is all 

about her parents, their 

illnesses, and the constant 

moving; but not while in school. 

“A home away from home is 

school or friends’ houses,” 

Jessica said. 

At school, Jessica can focus on 

herself and work to improve her 

life, and for six hours she is able 

to forget about all of her 

problems at home and escape 

the pain. “At school, I don’t 

have to worry about my 

parents. I’m doing work and 

being with my friends,” Jessica 

said. 

Along with an escape, means to 

see friends, and the opportunity 

to improve her livelihood, 

Manual has also given Jessica 

consistency. Every day it is a 

place where she can find 

confidence in herself and safety 

from the harshness of reality 

outside of the classroom. 

Although she lost all of what 

she cherished with the loss of 

her first home, Jessica found the 

welcoming halls of duPont 

Manual and the people inside 

who care for her. Happiness 

awaits her, it’s within reach, and 

she is loving every second of the 

ride. 

Manual has also given Drake a 

reason to be successful, but the 

reason came from outside of 

Manual’s academic rigor. 

“My outlet was probably 

football,” Drake said. The 

whole time while I was moving, 

I was going from place to 

place…but everyday I’m out on 

that same field and coming to 

the same school. That hasn’t 

changed at all,” Drake said. 

Having a football family and 

extra support helped increase 

Drake’s confidence, and he 

finally felt like something was 

stable in his life. Drake 

described this part of his life as 

his ‘come up’. And a large part 

of his new family was Dr. 

Oliver Lucas (Biology). 

“Coach Lucas, that’s my man,” 

Drake said. Dr. Lucas is the 

football coach for Manual, 

13 



14 

whom Drake has known since he 

played middle school football at 

Noe. 

“I met him eighth grade year, 

and he used to always come to 

our practices and sometimes 

we’d talk,” Drake said. 

Drake also said Lucas would give 

him things, and although Drake 

never told him, he suspected 

Lucas knew of his situation. 

“There were times when he 

would give me TARC tickets,” 

Drake said. Drake also said that 

Lucas paid for his lunch during 

two-a-days, a period when a 

team practices twice a day, his 

freshman year. 

Then, when Drake could not 

afford to attend College 

Weekend, a recruitment trip that 

the football team takes every 

summer, Lucas offered to pay for 

his trip. Although Drake ended 

up unable to go he still feels like 

he owes Lucas. 

“He’s a father figure,” Drake 

said. 

The father Drake never had. 

Drake was on his bus home from 

school after six hours of a tiring 

middle school day. The eighthgrader 

was 

extremely 

anxious, 

because today 

would be the 

day when he 

would find 

out whether 

or not he 

would get 

into Manual. 

As he writhed 

in anxiety, the 

hard bus seat 

not adding 

any extra 

comfort, 

thoughts of acceptance and 

rejection swirled 

throughout his 

mind. The rumors 

the older kids told 

were not helping 

either. All week 

long, the Manual 

students had been 

saying that 

everyone gets 

accepted on one 

day and rejected 

the next. So, 

apparently, his 

acceptance 

depended on whether or not 

there would be anything in the 

mail for him today. 

After he arrived home, Drake 

did what had become almost 

routine lately: he checked the 

mailbox. He knew that a 

rejection letter would be thin, 

and an acceptance letter would 

be thick; however, when he 

opened the mailbox, there was 

nothing. The world stopped 

around him. ‘The rumors must 

be true. I’ve been rejected,’ he 

thought to himself. Drake, with 

the weight of his heart on his 

sleeve, walked inside and sat on 

the stairway leading upstairs. He 

would now have to attend his 

home school, Southern. The 

sudden realization that his 

dream of playing football 

at Manual sunk him 

further into his depressive 

state. 

Then, the pitter-patter of 

rain on the roof grabbed 

his attention, and Drake 

decided that the sad state 

of the weather might make 

him feel better. ‘I just want 

to feel something,’ he said 

to himself as he sat on his 

stairs outside. But, soon the 

rain became too harsh, 

and he trudged back inside 

the house, immediately going to 

the nearest window. He 

watched droplets of rain 

stream down the 

window, accompanied 

by his own. All of a 

sudden, the rain 

stopped, he heard a 

thump, and then 

footsteps walking away 

from his front door. 

Drake rushed to the 

door to see a large 

packet on the floor. With 

a careful excitement, he 

opened the packet to see 

a letter. At the top, was the name 

“duPont Manual.” He stared at 

the letter for at least 60 seconds; 

just rubbing the sides of the 

packet. He wanted to take it all 

in, in one moment. Drake 

snapped out of his shock and 

excitedly opened the packet. 

Unfortunately, he opened it the 

wrong way, and his beautiful 

confetti fell to the floor with a 

thump. He didn’t even care; he 

had gotten in. He called his 

mom to tell her the good news, 

never picking up the contents of 

the packet from the floor. He 

wanted 

to leave it just the way it had 

been for when his mom would 

get home. Drake, at last, had an 

event he could say went exactly 

like he wanted it to. He, at last, 

had done something with the 

little he had. He, at last, had 

found himself a home.


Photos, Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Programs 

Homeless Education Conference Creates Awareness & Change! 

By Natalie Harris, Executive Director, Coalition for the Homeless 

I feel so 

fortunate to 

have been 

asked to be 

part of the 

very 

successful 

Above, Natalie Harris speaks at the 2015 Homeless Education Conference. Homeless 

Education Regional Conference coordinated by 

Jefferson County Public School’s Homeless 

Education Office on November 2, 2015. It was 

thrilling to see over 150 attendees that included 

teachers, administrators and providers who care 

about every student in their classroom, school and 

program including those who have no place to go 

when they 

leave school 

each day. But, 

it is also sad to 

think that 

homelessness 

among our 

community’s 

Above, JCPS staff attend the 2015 Homeless Education Conference. 

children has 

become such a large issue that it is affecting not only 

our students and families but their teachers and 

fellow students. 

In 2014, 1,362 

children under 

18 lived on the 

streets or in an 

emergency 

shelter for 

Photo, google images. 

some period of 

time. Another 499 young adults between 18 and 24 

were also homeless during that year. And, this does 

not include over 5,000 JCPS students who lost 

housing and were forced to live doubled up with 

family or friends. Research shows that all of these 

children struggle to balance the stress of their 

situation with the need to study and learn and you 

see that borne out in your classrooms daily. 

Jefferson County Public Schools are working to 

address this issue on the systemic level by making 

sure students get appropriate transportation, after 

school opportunities and tutors but there are still 

important ways that only teachers and 

administrators can have an impact. 

15


First, when children and young adults were asked in 

a local Coalition Supporting Young Adults study 

about the one most effective thing that made a 

difference in their education and future, they 

consistently said at least one adult who listened and 

cared about what they had to say. Asking, checking 

in and most important, listening, really do make a 

difference. Second, there are lots of opportunities in 

school to discuss homelessness so that children know 

it does not make you different and so that when new 

children become homeless they can talk about it 

with their teachers and fellow students. To aid in 

this, you can find lots of fact sheets (including this 

one from the National Coalition) - http:// 

www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/Fact 

%20Sheet%20and%20LessonPlan-K-2.pdf and 

lesson plans - http://learningtogive.org/lessons/ 

unit119/lesson3.html specifically for children. 

Libraries also now have many books on the topic 

which can be helpful. Discussion about the issue 

should not just talk about homelessness but give 

students ways that they can help address the issue. 

You can make cards for homeless kids, collect items 

needed at homeless shelters or do a service project 

from your school. 

And, finally, 

we cannot 

talk about or 

address youth 

homelessness 

without 

talking about 

their families. 

The JCPS 

Family 

Resource 

Centers are 

fabulous 

Photo, JCPS communications. 

resources for 

these families. You can also make referrals to the 

Photo, Louisville Metro 

local Neighborhood Place or contact 2-1-1 for local 

resources to prevent homelessness, find clothing, 

food or address other needs. And, newly homeless 

families can contact the Bed One-Stop at 637-BEDS 

seven days a week beginning at 10:00 a.m. to make a 

reservation in a local homeless shelter. If you need 

help with any of this, Jefferson County Public 

Schools has a fabulous Homeless Education Office 

that can help you make these referrals or get 

resources to insure a family is stabilized and the 

child can stay in school. In a better world, children 

would not be homeless and the issue would not 

affect our schools, teachers and students. But, until 

that can be addressed, I am happy to be part of a 

community that cares and that is working to wrap 

appropriate services around our children and their 

families. 

16


Photo, Abdul Sharif 

Left, Chrystal Hawkins embraces a student at King Elementary. 

Say Hello to Chrystal Hawkins: 

Homeless Education Resource 

Teacher 

Who: 

Chrystal 

Hawkins, 

former King 

Elementary 

School 

teacher, past 

nonprofit 

education 

program 

Above, Chrystal Hawkins facilitates a Literacy & Confidence session 

coordinator, 

and recent Spalding University Teacher Leader 

graduate 

My vision: 

To remove all barriers to student achievement and 

empower students to advocate for their education and 

success 

Some of my immediate goals as a Homeless 

Education resource teacher: 

• To design and implement academic 

intervention programs (in school and after 

school) for homeless students 

• To provide instructional resources to schools 

serving homeless students 

• To collaborate and partner with schools, 

district leaders, and community organizations 

17 

to remove barriers to the academic 

achievement of homeless students 

Why this is more than a job: 

As a JCPS student, I experienced homelessness and 

can relate to the anxiety, fear, and stress that students 

encounter as families try to transition to a permanent 

living situation. The uncertainty of housing, the loss 

of possessions, and the shame are just a few of the 

things that homeless students may focus on rather 

than academics. While I can’t eliminate 

homelessness, I can ensure that there are academic 

opportunities and supports for homeless students to 

bridge the gap between worry, loss, and fear and the 

academic goals we want all students to reach. 

Current projects: 

“Literacy &”—In partnership with Diversity, Equity, 

and Poverty Programs, we’ve developed and 

implemented “Literacy &” Programs dedicated to 

serving homeless and socioeconomically 

disadvantaged students by linking standards-based 

literacy instruction and interventions to characterbuilding 

activities, such as karate, chess, photography, 

yoga, dance, and more. 

In closing: 

I look forward to working with other dedicated 

school, district, and community leaders who are 

passionate about making sure all students can and will 

achieve!


How I Overcame Homelessness 

Through Confidence Building and 

Community Service 

By Tonya Clinkscales, JCPS Employee 

In 1997, I found myself in 

the process of a divorce 

with two small children to 

support. During the 

process, I lost my 

apartment, my car, and a 

great deal of selfconfidence 

as I struggled, 

too embarrassed to ask for 

help and too proud to 

allow my family to see my 

failures. I moved around, living with different 

friends from time to time, until finally deciding to 

move back into my mother’s home in order to 

provide some type of stability for my children. 

Things were very difficult, and I had no idea how to 

remedy my situation. After seeing an advertisement, 

I decided to apply for a job with Jefferson County 

Public Schools as a school bus driver. It wasn’t easy 

starting over; I was at my all-time low. Depression 

was knocking at my door. I wasn’t sure I could do it, 

and many times, I just wanted to give up and give 

in, but I didn’t. I realized during all of my struggles 

that there was a higher power giving me the 

strength to continue on my journey. I remember my 

mother saying, “There is no limit to success as long 

as you have faith.” I am so thankful and so blessed 

in so many ways. 

As time progressed, I was able to find permanent 

housing for my little family, and I found myself 

feeling alive again. It wasn’t a cure-all, but it was a 

starting point. I was taking control of my life again. 

While I now had some stability and direction, I was 

still a single mother who faced the same difficulties 

as all other single mothers. I began my tenure at 

JCPS in 1997 as a school bus driver. In 1999, I was 

named Bus Driver of the Year in Jefferson County. 

In 2000 came a promotion to assistant coordinator. 

In 2004, I opened a new compound as the new 

coordinator, which eventually led to my current 

position as manager of operations in 

Transportation Services. In 2008, I was assigned the 

task of providing transportation to all homeless 

students in Jefferson County. No one knew that 11 

years prior, my own children were homeless 

students. Receiving this assignment allowed me to 

connect my career path with my personal path, 

providing me the opportunity to help students at a 

critical point in their lives. 

I take so much pride in working with each family, as 

I search high and low for a bus for each of my 

students, to give them stability, comfort, and some 

consistency during their time of hardship. When 

working for my students, I am diligent in making 

certain that they receive the attention and support I 

would have hoped for my own children to receive 

when we were in the same situation. I spend time 

searching each route individually to provide the 

best, most effective services to my students. Their 

education is important regardless of their status or 

where they live. 

As one who has faced challenges and continues to 

strive for my personal best, I understand the 

importance of community guidance and 

partnership. Therefore, I am committed to serving 

my community through services, such as providing 

motivational conversations with single mothers and 

young ladies, organizing job fairs in the community, 

contributing business clothing for young ladies 

seeking employment, working with the Center for 

Women and Families to provide necessary items for 

families starting over, and providing transportation 

for community events as well as transportation for 

after-school activities for disadvantaged children. 

I believe that my life experiences were fated to allow 

me the personal challenge and growth necessary to 

be able to go forward and share with my 

community, helping others who face the same 

adversity and giving them the necessary tools to 

turn their obstacles into opportunities. After all, 

everyone deserves an opportunity. 

18


Homeless Students Learn About Resiliency, Perseverance, and Competition 

Through the Literacy and Chess Program at St. Vincent de Paul 


By King Elementary School Staff 

When 

many 

students 

arrived on 

the first day 

of the 

Literacy 

and Chess 

Program at 

Above, a student ponders her next chess move. 

St. Vincent 

de Paul, teachers heard questions from students like, 

“What’s for breakfast?” or “What’s chess?” Fortunately, 

by the end of the first day, students were able to 

answer both questions with the same answer, 

“something that will nourish you and help you grow!” 

Understanding 

that breakfast 

is nourishment 

and needed for 

growth and 

development 

was not as 

much of a 

Above, students finish up an important project. 

shock as it was 

understanding that chess can do the same thing. When 

we threw literacy in the equation as part of a 

balanced, healthy diet for muscle building (brain 

muscles, that is), students were intrigued. 

The Literacy and Chess Program is a standards-based 

program designed to expose at-risk students to 

character-building activities while they receive 

connected literacy instruction from certified JCPS 

teachers, instructional assistants, and activity-related 

instructors (like chess coaches). Each day, the program 

begins with written reflection and discussion of goals, 

competition, perseverance, and other characterdevelopment 

themes. Students then learn and practice 

a standards-based skill while reading the program’s 

anchor text. Afterward, students receive instruction 

from a master coach connected with the program’s 

activity, chess. 

The magic 

happens when 

students relate 

characterdevelopment 

themes to the 

anchor text of 

the program 

and to the 

Above, students enjoy spending time reading and learning chess. 

activity they 

will participate in during the program. Like Literacy 

19 



and Chess, each program uses an anchor text with 

characters to whom the students can relate. Often, the 

main character of the anchor text will experience 

some of the same feelings of anxiety, fear, and lack of 

confidence in mastering the same activity that students 

are learning—like chess in this case. Like the main 

characters, as students practice new literacy skills and 

learn new strategies from activity coaches, they also 

gain confidence and the skills necessary to master and 

overcome a final competition, a final literacy 

assessment, or any challenge or barrier life may throw 

their way! 

Students at 

St. Vincent 

de Paul 

began 

unsure of 

what they 

would eat 

or what 

chess was 

Above, a student reads Freddie Loses His Game during “Literacy & Chess.” 

and ended 

the program confident enough to use their chess 

strategies to compete against other program 

components. Students at St. Vincent de Paul received a 

complete chess set at the end of the program along 

with their own copy of the anchor text they read. 

Students who competed in the chess competition were 

so excited that even if they did not win in the final 

competition, they had their own chess set to continue 

practicing. Many students also grew to love the book 

and were excited to have their own copy to read 

anytime. 

Below, a a volunteer instructs a student. 

As a result 

of the 

Literacy 

and Chess 

Program, 

students 

now have 

their very 

own chess 

set, a book 

with a character to whom they can relate, and (most of 

all) strategies that will help them master chess, literacy, 

Above, a student moves a piece on a life-sized chess board. 

and life. This may not seem like a lot to some, but to a 

homeless student who has to accept loss of possessions 

and owns little to nothing, owning knowledge and a 

valuable experience may be something that makes the 

difference between giving up in the face of challenges 

or persevering to overcome barriers to success and 

demonstrating real resiliency. 

For more information about the Literacy and Chess 

Program, contact Chrystal Hawkins, Homeless 

Education resource teacher, at (502) 485-3650. 

Above a student smiles after capturing the a pawn. 

20



Homeless Education—Helping 

Students Break Through Barriers 

By Marie McNair, ECE Priority Consulting Teacher, Valley 

Preparatory Academy 

As a special education teacher serving students in 

the general education classroom, I often 

encountered barriers to student learning that were 

carry-in or carry-over behaviors originating 

outside of the school setting. I quickly learned that 

in order to help my students successfully take in, 

retain, and use information, I needed to address 

those behaviors. Consequently, I learned that those 

behaviors were functions that satisfied a need. I am 

referring to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Without 

their basic needs being met, I was never going to get 

them to reach the higher level of functioning 

necessary to learn the core content, much less 

master the necessary skills. My style of teaching and 

approach to student learning stem from the ability to 

observe and identify student needs as well as from 

being open-minded in order to build a toolbox with 

strategies and interventions to help every student 

reach his or her greatest potential. 

Working with the Homeless Education Program has 

provided an opportunity for me to focus on the child 

and see the whole student. My holistic approach to 

teaching takes into consideration that the students— 

the clients I serve—require skills that will enable 

them to be successful in the public school setting. 

This necessitates a higher level of awareness and 

flexibility as I work through the tutoring hours. I 

start with building positive relationships. My 

students need to know and trust me as I get to know 

them. Students will work for a teacher they like 

versus one they don’t like. As adults, we know that 

this paradigm may not shift completely, but we have 

enough experience and training to find a happy 

medium. So I work diligently to teach those skills 

that will allow students to progress in any setting. 

Social skills are a big part of any and all instruction I 

provide. My students thrive in highly structured 

environments where they know and understand the 

expectations as well as how to behave in that setting. 

I am firm but consistently nurturing and caring. I 

coach students on appropriate behavior, model it for 

them, and then teach code-switching skills. I want 

the students to know and understand when it is 

appropriate to behave a certain way in certain 

situations. I teach them how to “do” school. 

Working primarily on the Literacy portion of the 

tutoring program, I found that many of my students 

are capable of working on grade level but lack 

necessary contextual knowledge and cues to master 

core content. I searched for practical applications. 

Older students practice their reading fluency skills 

by reading to their younger peers during a session. I 

supervise and facilitate learning by asking 

comprehension questions and how the information 

can be applied to their everyday lives. Many 

nonreaders require visual cues and prompts to 

facilitate learning. They are excellent at expressing 

themselves orally, but they need practice with 

symbolic and written expression. I have them 

practice discussion and then summarize their 

thoughts on paper, either in a picture or a word. 

21


Building Resiliency Through Literacy 

By Giselle Danger, Coordinator Homeless Education 

Children’s advocates working inside and outside of the school system face a variety of challenges in meeting the 

needs of highly mobile students. Working with families and students is one of the most rewarding jobs, but it 

can also be one of the most stressful. Many times, teachers are confronted with questions that are difficult to 

answer. My experience as the JCPS Homeless coordinator has taught me that if you are working with at-risk 

students living in poverty, you should be ready to discuss topics of poverty and homelessness in a genuine and 

sensitive way. An easier way to address these issues is including lesson plans focused on math, literature, reading, 

writing, and art. 

Including relevant information helps teachers cultivate in students the inner resources they need to flourish 

socially, emotionally, and academically. It also helps build rapport and community in the classroom. Cultivating 

awareness and resiliency in students through literacy is a powerful tool to support students’ development into 

productive citizens. 

Here is a list of books that offer opportunities to explore and discuss topics around homelessness, comparison, 

and residency: 

• Shoebox Sam by Mary Brigid Barrett 

Donna M. Hargens, Superintendent 

2011. Grades 1–4. Delia and Jessie spend Saturdays with Shoebox Sam, who teaches them about making 

old shoes new again and helping those in need. 

• The Lunch Thief by Anne C. Bromley 

2010. Grades 1–4. Rafael notices the new kid stealing lunches (including his) and follows his mom’s advice to 

use his voice, not his fists, to resolve the problem. 

• December by Eve Bunting 

1997. Grades 1–4. Simon and his mom live in the tiny cardboard house they’ve built for themselves. On 

Christmas Eve, they don’t have much, but it’s more than the woman who comes knocking on their door has. 

Does their generosity bring them a miracle? 

• Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting 

1991. Grades Pre-K–3. A young boy talks about his and his father’s experience living in an airport and has 

hope for himself when he sees a trapped bird find freedom. 


22


• A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning 

2004. Grades K–3. Since moving to the United States from Jamaica after 

her father died, Zettie and her mom live in their car while they both go 

to school and plan for a real home. 

• Sélavi: That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope by Youme Landowne 

2005. Grades 1–4. Haitian street children band together and work to 

create a life for themselves. 

• The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern 

1997. Grades K–4. When two siblings discover a homeless woman living 

in their neighborhood, they discover how easy it can be to make a 

difference in someone’s life. 

• I Can Hear the Sun by Patricia Polacco 

1999. Grades 2–5. A boy without a real home, Fondo, feels lonely and unwanted. Then he meets 

Stephanie Michele, who takes care of the waterfowl at the pond and shares Fondo’s sensitivity for nature. 

She teaches him how to help take care of the geese, especially one with special needs. When Fondo finds 

out he’s to be taken away, he looks to the geese for a miracle. 

• The Can Man by Laura E. Williams 

2010. Grades 2–5. Tim’s family doesn’t have a lot of money, but he really wants a skateboard for his 

birthday. When he sees Mr. Peters, the “Can Man” who is homeless and collecting cans, Tim gets the 

idea to collect enough cans to pay for his skateboard, even though that means Mr. Peters gets less—it’s 

only until Tim’s birthday, after all. Tim really wants that skateboard, but a couple of encounters with 

Mr. Peters give him pause about what to do with the money he’s earned. 

• A Home for Dakota by Jan Grover and Nancy Lane 

2008. Grades 1–3. Dog #241 lives in a dark crate on a puppy mill until she is rescued and learns to trust 

humans again. When the puppy (now named Dakota) meets a young girl who has been as traumatized as 

she has, healing begins for both of them. 

• Mutt Dog by Stephen Michael King 

2005. Grades Pre-K–2. Mutt Dog is brave, fast, gentle, loyal, and smart, but he’s also hungry, and he 

doesn’t have a home. Then one day his luck changes, and he at last finds a family—and a cozy, loving 

place to belong. 

• Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery 

2008. Grades K–3. A dog and a blind cat abandoned during Hurricane Katrina evacuations manage to 

find each other and stick together until they realize a happy ending. 

• Go Home! The True Story of James the Cat by Libby Phillips Meggs 

2000. Grades K–3. Cat has been lost for a long time. His collar has grown too tight, and he’s always 

hungry and thirsty. One day, he finds a house with a kind family, but they think because he has a collar, 

he has a home. It’s not until he’s badly injured that the family realizes just how much the cat needs them. 


23


• The Stray Dog by Marc Simont 

2003. Grades Pre-K–3. A family picnicking in the park encounters a little stray dog. The children play 

with him and name him Willy, but the parents won’t let Willy come home with them. Willy stays in their 

hearts and heads, so the next week they go looking for him—but so does the dogcatcher. 

• I am a Bear by Jean-Francois Dumont 

2015. Grades K–3. Life isn’t easy for a bear—not when he has to sleep on the sidewalk among cardboard 

boxes and old clothes. But one day a young girl smiles at the bear, and he realizes that maybe there is 

something that could make life a bit easier—a friend. 

• Abiona’s Car Adventure by Rochelle Gaston 

2015. Grades K–5. Abiona means “born on a journey.” 

The name was given to her by her African grandmother. 

Abiona and her mother have been living in their car for 

sometime now. It’s not easy being homeless, and Abiona 

finds that because of it, she is the subject of bullying and 

meanness, leaving her with no friends. To help Abiona 

through their hardships, Mama puts her imagination to 

work. Join Abiona and Queen Mother as they travel to 

out-of-this-world destinations! 

• Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth 

2002. Grades 4–6. A little girl longs to see beyond the scary sights on the sidewalk and the angry 

scribbling in the halls of her building. When her teacher writes the word beautiful on the blackboard, the 

girl decides to look for something beautiful in her neighborhood. 

• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh 

2012. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, Victoria is unable to get close to anybody and her 

only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now 18 and emancipated from the 

system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she 

chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s 

been missing in her life. 

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan 

2002. Esperanza thought that she’d always live with her family on their ranch in 

Mexico—that she’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. 

But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during 

the Great Depression and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. 

Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of 

acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must 

find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances. Mama’s life, and her own, 

depend on it. 

• 

24


Nicole’s Narrative 

A Teacher’s Perspective 

By Nicole Finley 

Looking back at the time that I 

stepped foot into my initial 

teaching position, I can honestly 

say that I could not have asked for 

a better placement. There was so 

much to learn, so many challenges, 

and so many amazing colleagues 

from whom to learn. 

Each day I visit the 

shelters, they remind me of 

what reality really looks 

like. 

Nicole Finley 

Photo, Moore Traditional 

Moore Traditional High School 

was “more” than a workplace for 

me, the people there were more 

than co-workers to me, and my 

students…they were more to me 

than just an enrollment number. 

Together, these individuals helped 

shape my desire to be the 

difference that I, as a beginning 

teacher, wanted to see in the 

world. 

I can recall spending countless 

hours attempting to prepare that 

perfect lesson. I would practice on 

my friends and family and would 

do my best to get all the kinks out 

before the next day. I remember 

one specific day that I was 

completely excited to try out my 

lesson. When the kids came in, my 

room was organized; papers were 

on their desks; my agenda was on 

the board; and I greeted them with 

that, “I’m so very glad you’re here; 

you’re going to enjoy my awesome 

lesson today,” smile on my face. I 

was incredibly excited and could 

not wait to get my day started. 

Well, about half way into my 

lesson, one of my students had 

decided that this day was not going 

to be my awesome day. She had 

other things in store for me. I 

remember it like yesterday, I was 

teaching the kids about 

personification and how it adds 

imagery and tone to a piece of 

writing. “Say for instance you’re 

walking down the sidewalk, and 

you see daffodils swaying back and 

forth from the wind. How could 

we describe that to someone who 

can’t see?” I could not wait to hear 

all the interesting feedback that 

was to come. 

“Ain’t nobody in here blind. So 

why do you want us to pretend like 

we are?” 

I do believe I was stunned. I was 

shocked, to say the least, that this 

young lady would have the 

audacity to not be a team player in 

response to my delivery of this 

lesson. Flabbergasted, I remarked, 

“Well, we’re just playing pretend. I 

just want you to try and think of 

some other interesting ways to 

describe the daffodils. Can you do 

that for me?” 

“Hell, NO!” she replied. 

At this point, my newness was 

about to be shown. I immediately 

scorned the child saying, “How 

dare you try and sabotage my 

lesson. How dare you! If you don’t 

want to learn and want to be 

disruptive, then leave!” 

Interestingly enough, the girl 

obliged without hesitation. Yes, she 

did mumble a few vulgarities on 

her way out the door, but I was 

25


simply glad she was gone. The kids were now 

distracted; I was sweating from anxiety and 

continued my lesson the best I could. I don’t recall 

ever regaining focus after that outburst. 

A little later that day, I spoke with my principal 

about the situation. He gave me her background 

story, telling me that she was raising her 3 siblings 

and was pretty much on her own because of her 

mom’s drug addiction. This student did all the 

shopping, getting money from friends and 

neighbors (and other ways) in order to keep food 

on the table. 

She arrived to school late every day because she 

had to get her siblings on the bus. She never 

participated in after school activities because she 

had to get them off the bus in the afternoon. Tears 

began to stream down my face in disbelief. I could 

not believe it. This young lady seemed so strong. I 

had just thought that she was in need of an 

attitude adjustment. From that point on, I would 

have to look at her differently…not in a bad 

way… just a different and more compassionate 

way. 

The next time I saw her, she looked at me with 

disgust. On a sheet of paper I wrote, “May I 

please speak to you in the hallway? I really want to 

apologize to you.” With much animation, she 

hurried to the hallway and immediately leaned 

against the wall right outside my classroom door. 

“I’m so deeply sorry, I said.” 

“For what, being a B&^%?” 

I said, “Yes. I should have been more 

understanding. I should have been more kind and 

thoughtful.” She looked at me like she saw a ghost! 

All I could do was apologize for my naiveté and 

presumptuous opinions. 

“It’s all good,” she said. 

“Well, no, it’s not,” I insisted. 

“I was being a jerk and messed up your lesson,” 

she said. 

My rebuttal to her was, “It’s not about me. At the 

end of the day, it has everything to do with you.” 

From that point on, I promised to try and be that 

teacher who cares enough about kids to do 

whatever possible to help them. Teacher lesson 

plans? Yes, they are extremely important, but how 

difficult is it for a child to learn from a teacher 

they don’t like or thinks hates them? 

I want to be the teacher who makes up for that 

teacher who just “didn’t get it” that day. Unlike a 

traditional classroom, at the tutoring shelter sites, I 

am able to see these kids every day in their own 

environment. I am able to see the lack of Wi-Fi 

and laptops. I’m able to see the cold food served 

on the line, the lack of personal space, the lack of 

food, coats and supplies. 

Each day I visit 

the shelters, 

they remind me 

of what reality 

really looks like. 

These kids are 

our reality. 


These kids need 

voices and are 

defeating many more odds than a test score. They 

are survivors who need and want an advocate; 

someone who cares for them regardless of their 

circumstances. They want someone who doesn’t 

give pity, but instead strategies to work beyond and 

around their living conditions. They are JCPS… 

they are a part of me! 

In short, I benefit as much from working with the 

Homeless Education Program students, as 

hopefully the students do from having me there. 

Together, we can be the change we want to see in 

the world. 

26



Burnout Is Real 


To put the world in order, we must first put the 

nation in order; to put the nation in order, we 

must first put the family in order; to put the family 

in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; 

we must first set our hearts right. 

—Confucius 

excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs 

when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet 

constant demands (Freudenberger, 1975). Burnout 

can result not only in health problems but also in 

reduced performance on the job, poor social 

interaction, and—in the case of individuals 

working with students and families—detrimental 

effects on students’ academic performance and 

well-being. 

27 

Burnout as a concept was first applied by 

Freudenberger (1975) to describe what happens 

when a practitioner becomes increasingly 

ineffective. This is not a sudden condition but a 

progressive state of ineffectiveness that can take 

various forms. Burnout is a state of emotional, 

mental, and physical exhaustion caused by 

The symptoms of burnout can be categorized 

into physical, emotional, and behavioral. Physical 

symptoms include feeling tired and drained most 

of the time, lowered immunity, and feeling sick a 

lot. Emotional symptoms include feeling helpless, 

trapped, and defeated as well as having a sense of 

failure and self-doubt. Behavioral signs include 

withdrawing from responsibilities, skipping work 

or coming in late and leaving early, or blaming 

others for your failures. 

Lately, increased attention has been given to the 

concept of self-care—the balancing activities in 

which practitioners can engage to preserve 

personal longevity and happiness, their 

relationships, and their careers—with the goal of 

avoiding burnout. However, even practitioners 

who understand the devastating effects of burnout 

may fail to make self-care part of their lifestyle. 

Many will agree that challenging situations and 

being exposed to trauma and unique ethical 

dilemmas can all contribute to a high level of 

stress for practitioners. Yet, even with the signs of 

burnout all around us, practitioners often still may 

not pay full attention to the possibility of being 



burned-out until everything suddenly seems 

overwhelming. 

Learning to identify and recognize the difference 

between stress and burnout is crucial. While you’re 

usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you 

don’t always notice burnout when it happens. 

Stress 

Stress vs. Burnout 

Burnout 

Characterized by Characterized by 

overengagement disengagement 

Emotions are 

Emotions are blunted. 

overreactive. 

Produces urgency and Produces helplessness 

hyperactivity 

and hopelessness 

Loss of energy Loss of motivation, 

ideals, and hope 

Leads to anxiety Leads to detachment 

disorders 

and depression 

The primary damage is The primary damage is 

physical. 

emotional. 

May kill you 

May make life seem not 

prematurely 

worth living 

Source: Stress and Burnout in Ministry 

But burnout is not caused exclusively by stressful 

work or too many responsibilities. Other factors 

contribute to burnout, including your lifestyle and 

certain personality qualities. 

Examples of Work-Related Causes of 

Burnout 

• Feeling like you have no control over your 

work 

• Lack of recognition or rewards for good 

work 

• Unclear or overly demanding job 

expectations 

Examples of Lifestyle Causes of Burnout 

• Working too much, without enough time for 

relaxing and socializing 

• Being expected to be too many things to too 

many people 

• Taking on too many responsibilities, 

without enough help from others 

• Not getting enough sleep 

• Lack of close, supportive relationships 

Examples of Personality Traits That Can 

Contribute to Burnout 

• Perfectionistic tendencies 

• Pessimistic view of yourself and the world 

• The need to be in control 

• High-achieving, Type A personality 

Builders need hard hats and protective shoes. 

Football players wear pads, and chemists sport 

goggles and protective suits. Practitioners need 

protective gear as well if we want to continue to be 

safe and effective in our work. Self-care tools are 

protective gear. 

Effective Self-Care Tools 

• Adopt healthy eating, exercising, and 

sleeping habits. 

• Learn to delegate. 

• Set boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself. 

Learn how to say no to requests for your 

time. 

• Take a daily break from technology. 

• Nourish your creative side. Choose activities 

that have nothing to do with work. 

• Actively address problems. Take a proactive, 

rather than a passive, approach to issues in 

your workplace, including stress at work. 

• Supervision as a self-care tool 

• Consider therapy or counseling as a positive 

resource. 

28


Left to right, chess master Corbin Seavers teaches students at King; a student enjoys reading. 

“Literacy &” Programs: Combining Common Core Learning with Fun! 

Photos, Abdul Sharif 

By Chrystal Hawkins–Homeless Education Resource Teacher 

King Elementary is on the move. In order to meet the 

needs of all students at King, we have created a 

wraparound approach. We have included staff 

members, such as a full-time mental health counselor, 

two reading recovery teachers, a Positive Behavior 

Intervention Support (PBIS) coach, Success coach, 

and resource teachers as well as a Family Resource 

Center (FRC) and counselor. Each person plays an 

important role, along with our teachers and support 

staff, in ensuring that students are not only growing 

academically but also having their social and 

emotional needs met. Our mission at King is to have 

all students meeting and exceeding grade-level 

benchmarks; however, in order to meet this goal, we 

must understand that students cannot learn until all 

their social and emotional needs have been met or 

addressed. We have various staff members who 

collaborate and pool their resources, but in order to 

fully support our students and their families, we also 

have schoolwide systems in place to support student 

growth and development. 

Every day, our students are encouraged to develop 

into the leaders they are destined to become. This 

year, we have implemented schoolwide guidelines for 

success (ROARS). Our students know that leaders at 

King show Respect, take Ownership, have a positive 

Attitude, and are Responsible and Safe. Every month 

during our schoolwide morning meeting, students are 

recognized for one of the leadership attributes based 

on a recommendation from a staff member, parent, 

or community member. Students’ lanyards are pinned 

with a star that represents one of the attributes for 

which they were nominated, and students are 

encouraged to wear their lanyard throughout the day. 

Every student has the opportunity to grow and be 

recognized for his or her leadership. We also offer our 

students new experiences. We recognize that our 

students have many talents and interests, and we work 

hard to expose our students to a variety of 

experiences. We have been fortunate to build a 

partnership with the Diversity, Equity, and Poverty 

Programs Office, which has allowed our students to 

participate in a summer program at the Louisville 


29


Top to bottom, a student observes a ground hog at the 

Louisville Zoo; a student captures an image of his classmate 

during “Literacy & Photography.” 

Zoo. Students have 

been able to 

participate in afterschool 

programs, 

such as Literacy 

and Photography 

and Literacy and 

Chess. The Literacy 

and Photography 

Program engaged 

our students in a 

local competition 

with the 

photographs that 

they captured 

throughout the 

week in our 

community. The students were able to submit their 

photographs into National Geographic’s online 

competition. We also offer students another afterschool 

opportunity 

through 

AMPED. 

AMPED is a 

program that 

takes students 

through the 

process of 

writing scripts 

Above, students participate in Literacy & Poetry at AMPED. 

and creating 

music and 

documentary-style videos highlighting social 

commentary related to student experiences and the 

community. Students are also charged with marketing 

their message through social media and bringing 

awareness to issues they deem important and 

impactful. 

To continue our mission of empowering students and 

families at King, our goal is to continue to build 

partnerships with businesses and people in the 

community. We know that our students face many 

barriers; however, we must always remember, 

“Education promotes equality and lifts people out of 

poverty. It teaches children how to become good 

citizens. Education is not just for a privileged few, it is 

for everyone. It is a fundamental human right” (Ban 

Ki-moon). 

Regardless of socioeconomic status, we are working 

very hard at King to provide our students with 

opportunities to be recognized in a positive manner. 

We want our students to know that perseverance, 

increased access, and meaningful experiences will 

solidify a strong foundation of knowledge as we fulfill 

the JCPS vision of having all of our students graduate 

prepared for the challenges of college and careers. 

Above, students participate in the Menassaince program at AMPED studios. 

30


Early Childhood 

Partners With a Purpose 

By Dr. James L. Francis, Director of 


Kindergarten readiness has 

become a growing concern in the 

United States. More than 2.5 

million children enter the nation’s 

public kindergartens each year 

(Snyder, Dillow, and Hoffman, 

2008). Children begin school with 

a considerable variation in their 

range of general knowledge, skills, 

and abilities. Entering 

kindergartners come from 

increasingly diverse ethnic, racial, 

cultural, social, economic, and 

language backgrounds, and they 

differ in the types of early care 

and educational experiences they 

have prior to kindergarten (West, 

Denton, and Germino- Hausken, 

2000; West, Denton, and Reaney, 

2001; Zill and West, 2001). 

Research 

indicates that 

90 percent of 

human brain 

development 

occurs during 

the first five 

years of a child’s life. Thus, a 

high-quality Early Childhood 

Program is critical 

for our community 

in order to achieve 

its goal of 77 

percent of children 

being kindergartenready 

by 2020. City 

leaders have 

embraced this goal 

through Mayor 

Greg Fischer’s 

Cradle to Career 

initiative. In 

addition, Dr. Donna 

Hargens and the Jefferson County 

Board of Education (JCBE) have 

firmly committed to improving 

access and quality for Early 

Childhood throughout the 

district. Early Childhood 

collaborates with organizations, 

such as homeless education 

organizations, in order to provide 

support and resources to our most 

at-risk student population. 

Currently, 

the JCPS 

Early 

Childhood 

Program 

serves 

approximately 4,400 children 

across 63 sites and 216 


One specific group of 

students that 

automatically qualifies 

for the Early Childhood 

Program is any child 

identified as homeless 

under the McKinney- 

Vento Act. 

—Dr. James L. Francis 

classrooms. These students 

represent one of the district’s 

most at-risk student populations. 

Our community is largely 

unaware that nearly 100 percent 

of students in the JCPS Early 

Childhood Program fall below the 

poverty line. A child is eligible for 

this federal- and state-funded 

program based on income or an 

at-risk category. One specific 

group of students that 

automatically qualifies for the 

Early Childhood Program is any 

child identified as homeless under 

the McKinney-Vento Act. 

Currently, we are serving 147 

homeless 4-year-old children. 

Many of these students face 

obstacles that seem 

insurmountable. In order to 


31


32 

ensure that JCPS homeless 

students have basic needs, we 

collaborate with the homeless 

education division within 

Diversity, Equity, and Poverty 

Programs. 

One of the most important and 

challenging aspects is to ensure 

that we properly identify 

homeless students. JCPS has 

dramatically improved its 

identification process with a new 

online application system, which 

includes more efficient 

identification by integrating a 

series of three questions within 

the online application. If a “yes” 

answer is indicated to any of the 

three questions, Early Childhood 

identifies this application as a 

potential homeless student. At 

this point, Early Childhood 

coordinates with the JCPS 

homeless education division to 

ensure that we correctly identify 

and provide support to this at-risk 

student population. JCPS 

provides support for this family 

(or student) by providing school 

location, family support through 

our Family and Community 

Partnership division, 

transportation, clothing, school 

supplies, and basic needs. Proper 

identification and support are 

critical to ensuring that our 

communities’ most vulnerable 

children are prepared for 

kindergarten. 

Having served as a statewide 

homeless director, I value and 

understand how critical it is to 

have collaborative partnerships. I 

am also familiar with how the 

general public categorizes a 

homeless individual. 

Homelessness does not mean a 

child cannot learn, nor does it 

mean the family is a failure. 

Homelessness means a family 

does not have fixed, regular, and 

adequate housing under the 

McKinney-Vento Act. 

Fortunately, there are many great 

success stories from students who 

started out homeless. Two great 

examples would be David Boone 

from Ohio and Dawn Coggins 

from North Carolina. David and 

Dawn were both homeless 

students who did not let their 

circumstances control their 

destiny. They were both accepted 

into and currently attend 

Harvard University. We must take 

our resources, create 

partnerships, and ensure success 

for all children as we prepare 

them to be kindergarten-ready. 


With urgency and excellence, we 

must create an Early Childhood 

Program that is highly regarded 

for its academic distinction, 

preparing students to be 

kindergarten-ready and actively 

serving parents and improving 

our community. Our success will 

be measured by a statewide, 

standardized test known as 

BRIGANCE Early Childhood 

Screens. 

The test components include 

language, motor, and self-help as 

well as social-emotional and 

cognitive skills. 

With research showing that twothirds 

of learning achievement 

gaps exist the day a child enters 

kindergarten, Early Childhood 

must be of the highest quality 

and involve collaborative partners 

to accomplish this work. 

Providing exceptional learning 

experiences early in life has a 

lasting impact on later learning, 

behavior, and health. The JCBE 

has established high expectations 

for closing the achievement gap. 

This goal will only be possible if 

—and only if—every 0 to 5-yearold 

child is enrolled in a highquality 


Program.


33 

Homelessness Definitions 

By Christy Ward, Homeless Education 

Department 

What is your definition of homelessness? What comes 

to mind when you hear the word homeless? 

Is this what you think of ? 

Photos, Google Images 

Or maybe this? 

What about these people—maybe? 

But most definitely not this, right? 

Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento 

Homeless Assistance Act (as reauthorized 

by Title X, Part C of the No Child Left 

Behind Act) defines homeless as follows: 

The term “homeless children and 

youths”— 

(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, 

regular, and adequate nighttime residence 

(within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); 

and (B) includes— 

(i) children and youths who are sharing the 

housing of other persons due to loss of 

housing, economic hardship, or a similar 

reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer 

parks, or camping grounds due to the lack 

of alternative adequate accommodations; 

are living in emergency or transitional 

shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are 

awaiting foster care placement; 

(ii) children and youths who have a primary 

nighttime residence that is a public or 

private place not designed for or ordinarily 

used as a regular sleeping accommodation 

for human beings (within the meaning of 

section 103(a)(2)(C)); 

(iii) children and youths who are living in 

cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned 

buildings, substandard housing, bus or train 

stations, or similar settings; and 

(iv) migratory children (as such term is 

defined in section 1309 of the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who 

qualify as homeless for the purposes of this 

subtitle because the children are living in 

circumstances described in clauses (i) 

through (iii). (National Center for Homeless 

Education: http://center.serve.org/nche/ 

legis/mv-def.php) 

Possibly one of the biggest misconceptions is that 

homeless means “adults living in the streets or in a 

shelter” when, in fact, that is not the only way 

people can be considered homeless. Seventy 

percent of people who are considered homeless in 

Kentucky are families with children living in 

substandard housing or with other family members 

because they cannot afford to live on their own or 

have better housing. 

Another misconception is that homeless people do 

not work or do not want to work when in fact over 



half of the people in a shelter in Louisville work 

one or more jobs. Yet the lack of affordable 

housing, low pay, or the inability to obtain credit 

prevents them from finding a place of their own. 

Questions to Help Establish McKinney- 

Vento (Homeless) Status 

Due to the stigma associated with being homeless, a 

person experiencing homelessness may not want to 

tell others about their situation or may be slow in 

divulging too much information, making it difficult 

to determine if the family is McKinney-Ventoeligible. 

First, trust and understanding must be 

established with the person in order to determine 

his or her situation. After you have developed a 

sense of understanding with the person, explain 

that you will need to obtain information from him 

or her in order to see if he or she is eligible for 

McKinney-Vento services and explain that some 

questions may sound intrusive at times. Stress that 

you are only asking questions to determine 

eligibility. 

Below are some questions to ask for information 

gathering according to the National Center for 

Homeless Education (NCHE) website (http:// 

www.serve.org/nche): 

Sample Questions to Ask the Students or 

Parents for Information Gathering 

The following questions are designed to elicit 

information that is relevant for the McKinney- 

Vento definition of homeless; that is, to 

determine the extent to which the children and 

their families or the youth are living in a fixed, 

regular, and adequate living situation. 

Fixed (“A fixed residence is one that is 

stationary, permanent, and not subject to 

change.”13) 

• Is this a permanent arrangement or just 

temporary? 

• Are you looking for another place to live? 

• Do you plan to move out soon? 

• Why are you staying in your current place? 

• Where were you living right before this place? 

Why did you leave? 

• Where would you go if you couldn’t stay 

where you are? 

• Are you staying with friends/relatives just for 

a little while? 

• Did you and your friends/relatives decide to 

move in together and share a home and 

expenses for the long term? Or is this a 

temporary situation for you? 

• Could your friends/relatives ask you to leave if 

they wanted to? 

• Are you all sharing the home equally, or are 

you more like guests in the home? 

• 

Regular (“A regular residence is one that is 

used on a regular [i.e., nightly] basis.”14) 

• Do you stay in the same place every night? 

• Do you have a key to the place where you are 

living? 

• Do you move around a lot? 

• How long have you been at that place? How 

long do you plan to stay? 

• How long did you live in your last place? 

• 

Adequate (“An adequate residence is one that 

is sufficient for meeting both the physical and 

psychological needs typically met in home 

environments.15) 

• How many people are living in the home? 

How many bedrooms/bathrooms does it 

have? 

• Are you and your children sharing a room? 

How many people are staying in one room? 

• Are you and your children sleeping in a 

bedroom, or a public area, like a dining room? 

• Does the home have heat/electricity/running 

water? 

• What condition is the home in? Does it keep 

out rain and wind? Is it safe? Is it warm and 

dry? Do the windows have glass panes? 

• Can you come and go as you please? 

34


35 

More Than Just an Article 

By: Joshua Jean-Marie–Manual High Student 

“Hotel 

Louisville is 

located 

downtown and 

is as a hotel for 

visitors as well 

as transition 

housing for 

homeless 

families 

struggling to get 

back on their 

feet. Inside the 

hotel, Finley, or 

“Mrs. Nicole” 

as the kids in 

Photo, Joshua Jean-Marie 

the shelter call 

her, has her own hotel room that serves as the 

tutoring room for students. One of whom is 

Brooke, or “Brookster” as Finley affectionately calls 

her.” 

Above is an excerpt from an article on student 

homelessness within JCPS “No Home For 

Homework”, that I wrote with my best friend, 

Chris Roussell, last year for our school newspaper. 

The excerpt paints a brief picture of what Hotel 

Louisville offers but it will never be able to paint a 

picture of how much Hotel Louisville personally 

means to me. Typically when a journalist covers an 

event or a person, they rarely maintain close 

communication with their subject(s) after the story 

goes off to the printer. I’m proud to be an 

exception to this because I could not imagine my 

life without Hotel Louisville and the beautiful 

people who occupy the 4 th floor. 

It all started out with an interview on January 30 th , 

2015. I went in to interview Maureen Boyd, Family 

Shelter Coordinator for Hotel Louisville, and after 

finishing the interview with Boyd, Mrs., Finley, my 

former sophomore English teacher, introduced me 

to Brooke. Brooke, or “Brookster” is the spunkiest, 

most strongly opinionated; seven year old I have 

ever met in my entire life. I’m not sure what we 

had in common at the time but something 

immediately sparked between us and we instantly 

became best friends. To my surprise, on that very 

same night, Brooke even asked me to carry her 

down to the lobby. 

After that first 

night at Hotel 

Louisville, I 

went home 

with a smile on 

my face. I went 

home with a 

smile on my 

face because I 

Photo, Courier-Journal 

was doing 

what I loved to 

do. I realized that Hotel Louisville is much bigger 

that a few interviews for a school newspaper article. 

I realized that Hotel Louisville was a place that 

didn’t just need help, but a place that needed 

consistent and genuine love. After having these 

realizations, I found myself going back to Hotel 

Louisville on a weekly basis. 

To this day, I still try to visit Hotel Louisville at 

least once every week and I try to help out in 

whatever way possible. Sadly, Brooke no longer 

comes to the shelter for tutoring. As much as I miss 

Brooke, this opened up opportunities for me to not 

only devote my attention to more children but to 

also develop strong relationships with these same 

kiddos that call Hotel Louisville home every night. 

Helping out at Hotel Louisville sometimes consist 

of things that I would normally not want to do. 

There have been times where I had to pull a kid 

out in the hallway and talk about the importance of 

being respectful towards those in authority. There 

have been times where I’ve had to clean up a plate 

of food that fell on the floor because it was 

accidentally knocked over. There have been times 

where I had to watch a mom’s child as she went 

outside to smoke another cigarette. My point is… 

Hotel Louisville has become more than just an 

article for me. I consider Hotel Louisville my 

second home and I am so grateful for every 

opportunity I get to go in and simply love on the 

beautiful individuals that have created their own 

special spot inside of my heart. 

Photo, google images.


36 

A Day in the Life of a JCPS Homeless 

Parent and Student 

More than 

6,000 students 

in JCPS are 

experiencing 

homelessness. 

While we can’t 

generalize the 

experience of 


all homeless 

families based on the experience of one family, it is 

our goal in this article to give a voice to one of our 

sometimes-voiceless homeless JCPS families. We 

allowed the mother and daughter of this family to 

explain what they want teachers, school officials, 

and other families to know about being homeless 

along with what a typical day is like for them. The 

names of our family residing in a Louisville shelter 

have been changed to protect their identity. 

Parent (Amanda Carter): 

What are some things you want 

administrators/teachers to know about 

being a homeless parent? 

My kids need to feel included. They need to feel like 

they can do the same things that the other kids can 

do. Luckily, where they are now, they feel like they 

are included. There needs to be more parental 

involvement, like maybe providing transportation to 

get parents to school functions. 

What would you like to tell other parents 

experiencing homelessness alone without 

resources? 

Call your child’s school. Call your shelter tutor or 

coordinator at the Homeless Education Program. 

What is a typical day like for you? 

• Get off work at 7:30 a.m. 

• Walk home to Wayside. 

• Get kids from sitter. 

• Get kids ready for school. 

• Take kids to bus stop. 

• Go back to room and go to sleep. 

• Sleep about six hours. 

• Get kids off school bus. 

• Take kids to dinner at 4:30 p.m. 

• Take kids to tutoring at 5 p.m. 

• Go to AA meetings between 6 and 8 p.m. 

• Pick kids up from tutoring. 

• Spend time with kids in room. 

• Get kids ready for bed. 

• Leave for work. 

Student (Madeline): 

What do you want teachers to know about 

being a homeless student? 

That I’m not different. 

What do you want your classmates to 

understand? 

That I’m not different and want to go to parties and 

stuff too. 

What are your hopes and dreams? 

My hopes and dreams are to get out of the shelter 

and move to a regular house and be on our school’s 

dance team. 

What is a typical day like for you? 


• Get up at 7:15 a.m. 

• Wait on mom to come home. 

• Mom picks me up at around 8 a.m. 

• Mom does my hair. 

• Then we leave for the bus stop. 

• Go to school. 

• Get home at about 4:30 p.m. 

• Go eat. 

• Go to tutoring. 

• After tutoring, I go to Ms. Maureen’s. 

• Go back to our room to get ready for school 

the next day.


Raising Awareness—Homeless Not Hopeless 


“I don’t think we have too many homeless people 

here in Louisville,” my neighbor told me this 

summer while inspecting my poorly mowed lawn. 

“That is definitely a problem in New York.” I have 

educated her so many times about the topic that I 

decided to give her the silent treatment this time. I 

stopped for a second to reconsider my approach. 

According to some of my professors from the Kent 

School, the silent treatment breeds bitterness on both 

ends, and it borders on emotional abuse. “I guess 

that is why you only volunteer at the Humane 

Society,” I confronted her. I reflected on the number 

—6,448. That is how many students were identified 

as homeless in JCPS last year. 

Driving through South Preston, East Jefferson, and 

South Brook, one passes many people who call a 

shelter home. But, if you don’t live, work, or drive 

through those particular areas of town, you may not 

even believe homelessness is a problem. Over the last 

years, I have met women who were victims of 

domestic violence, veterans who once served our 

country, single moms with their children, individuals 

with disabilities and other debilitating conditions, 

and talented people waiting for an opportunity. 

However, nothing strikes me more than seeing 

children experiencing homelessness. It is very 

disturbing that families with children are the fastestgrowing 

homeless population in a nation that prides 

itself on the state and well-being of its citizens. What 

have these children done to deserve not having a 

place to call home? 

“I want to be a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, an 

engineer, a data analyst, a chef,” some of our 

participants shared during Career Day at the Family 

Success Center at St. Vincent de Paul this summer. 

“I am so proud of our kiddos. They have worked so 

hard,” noted Ed Wnorowski, executive director/ 

CEO of St. Vincent de Paul. St Vincent de Paul 

understands the importance of education for 

homeless families. The Family Success Center at 

St Vincent de Paul provides site-based services to 

homeless children and their families. Critical services 

offered are intended to intervene and to promote and 

support academic success as a key tool in addressing 

the underlying causes of generational poverty and 

homelessness. As a society, we need to commit our 

resources to ensuring that homeless children have a 

future as well as an opportunity to succeed in life and 

to get out of the cycle of poverty and homelessness. 

No one has a silver bullet to defeat homelessness. 

Raising awareness to promote academic success and 

well-being is a priority to support our students or 

their dream that may never become a reality. The list 

below can be used as a resource for advocates who 

are willing to become part of the support system for 

children experiencing homelessness. 

Strategies That Work 

• Posting outreach materials where homeless 

families/youth congregate, including 

laundromats, parks, campgrounds, skate 

parks, youth clubs or organizations, and 24- 

hour stores 

• Developing outreach materials specifically 

targeted to specific homeless groups (youth, 

parent, homeless veterans, etc.) 

• Using means of communication that are 

comfortable/popular for families/youth, such 

as websites, email, agency Facebook page, or 

Twitter 

• Enlisting other students and individuals to 

help spread the word about services offered 

to homeless families 

• Making the school/agency a welcoming and 

supportive place for families experiencing 

homelessness 

• Building trusting relationships with families, 

including unaccompanied homeless youth 

• Informing families about of their rights 

under the McKinney-Vento Act 

• Conducting conversations with families/ 

students in an office or other area that allows 

for confidentiality 

• Listening to their concerns and wishes; 

withholding judgment 

• Reevaluating your own personal bias to 

protect the families and students with whom 

you are working 

37


Shelby Elementary School— Implementing McKinney-Vento to Change Lives 


“You plant a seed every day 

knowing someday down the 

road it will take root.” These 

are the words of Principal 

Kimberly Goff at Shelby 

Traditional Academy. We are so 

excited about some of the seeds 

Principal Goff is planting. As 

we followed Principal Goff on a 

tour of her school, a 

kindergartener came out of her 

class with a teacher crying. The 

student was almost 

inconsolable. Principal Goff 

explained that this happened 

almost daily with this particular 

child, but she didn’t seem 

annoyed or frustrated. She 

simply stopped, leaned down, 

and quietly spoke to the girl. 

She reminded her to take a 

breath and calmed her, knowing 

that tomorrow is another day 

and today a seed has been 

planted. We heard seeds like 

this throughout Principal Goff ’s 

words as we spoke to her that 

day, and we could see them in 

her school as well. 

In a school with limited space, 

where 84 percent of the 750 

students receive free- and 

reduced-price meals, planting 

seeds is not always easy. Many 

of these students struggle with 

behavioral and academic 

problems. However, for 

Principal Goff, consistency 

appears to be key. She is open 

to dialogue with her teachers, 

listens to their 

recommendations, and supports 

new ideas. These seeds she 

plants are examples. She 

supports her teachers in the 

same way she would like them 

to support their students. As she 

leads by example, she also 

makes sure that each of her 

teachers knows that she believes 

in do-overs. Each day is a new 

day, and the most important 

thing is for a student to know 

that someone cares. The goal is 

to open up hope and resiliency 

in a student in order to prepare 

him or her to grow 

academically. 

Principal Goff strives to plant 

seeds in McKinney-Ventoeligible 

students (those who are 

considered homeless at any 

Photo, Google Images 

point during the academic 

year). She talks with her staff 

and teachers about 

homelessness at the beginning 

of the school year. She reminds 

them how different it is to not 

have a home and stuff, and she 

teaches them to notice the 

details. During the school year, 

if the parent of a McKinney- 

Vento-eligible child comes in 

and is upset with the school 

staff, Principal Goff simply 

reminds the staff that this 

parent is advocating for his or 

her child and that we cannot 

truly understand what his or 

her life is like at home. The 

clerk at the front desk is on the 

frontline in this process. She 

realizes the need to support 

these students. During the 

enrollment process, if the clerk 

notices multiple schools and 

moves on a student’s record, she 

will ensure that the principal 

and key staff members are 

aware. This allows Principal 

Goff and her staff to prepare 

supports for the student. This 

also protects the student from 


38


being inadvertently stigmatized 

or placed in an uncomfortable 

position. 

Thanks to Principal Goff, the 

teachers at Shelby have learned 

to be observant and careful in 

their approach to addressing 

problems for these students. She 

gave this example—if a student is 

writing with a purple pen, which 

is not typically allowed, but the 

pen seems to have a special level 

of importance to the student, the 

teacher may let it go or be very 

careful in addressing it with the 

student. For a student 

experiencing homelessness, who 

has lost everything, that purple 

pen may have a special value. At 

Shelby, the principal, her 

teachers, and her staff 

understand this. As such, they 

carefully consider the seeds they 

are planting when addressing 

these types of issues with 

McKinney-Vento-eligible 

students. 

Teachers and the Family 

Resource Center (FRC) 

coordinator plant seeds every day. 

While the FRC coordinator 

maintains the standard food, 

uniforms, and support items, she 

also does laundry daily. This is 

routine for the kids at Shelby. If a 

student has a spill, it’s no 

problem. The child is loaned 

another uniform, and the clothes 

are washed. At the same time, 

another child whose clothes 

appear not to have been washed 

in a while will get his or her 

clothes washed too. The child 

does not stand out, because 

laundry is such a regular part of 

the day. Students get clothes 

washed, and at the same time, it 

helps the students who may not 

otherwise have the opportunity to 

wear something clean. At Shelby, 

teachers also think about the 

small things that make a big 

difference. For one teacher, that 

meant buying pajamas for not 

only one of her students but for 

her siblings as well. This meant 

none of the students would be 

without pajamas on pajama day. 

The academic seeds planted in 

the Shelby students are clear. As 

you walk through the fourth- and 

fifth-grade hall, you will see 

wheels for each student taped to 

the wall indicating which core 

academic task the students are 

currently working on. The 

encouragement toward 

achievement and improvement is 

depicted by colored 

thermometers outside each 

classroom, which indicate where 

the class is in terms of meeting 

academic standards and goals. It’s 

impressive to see a visual 

depiction of the teachers’ and 

students’ efforts toward learning 

—to see their academic seeds 

growing. 

Amazingly for Principal Goff, 

seeds are not just planted at the 

school. She regularly visits 

parents and families at shelters as 

well. She is available to her 

students and families, and they 

know she cares. In fact, the 

means by which our office 

became aware of her genuine 

effort to care for students was 

when she called the homeless 

education office at the beginning 

of the school year. Three siblings 

arrived at her school. They were 

told they did not belong at their 

old school, but the students 

wanted to go back to the 

familiarity of teachers and 

friends. One of them was in 

tears. Principal Goff took the 

time to listen to the students and 

realized they were McKinney- 

Vento-eligible. She contacted our 

office, but in the meantime, she 

planted seeds in the students’ 

hearts. She let them know that 

they were special and that they 

do belong somewhere. She may 

have even realized in that 

moment that these students 

belonged at Shelby, and yet she 

helped them get where they 

wanted to be. In less than a day, 

everything was approved for the 

students to return to their old 

school. However, the impact that 

Principal Goff made on those 

students in one day brought them 

to the realization that they did 

not want to be at their old school. 

They had a home at Shelby. 

When the children’s father called 

our office the next morning, seeds 

of admiration were planted in the 

staff at the homeless education 

office. One principal had 

convinced three students that 

they matter and that she cared. 

Her genuineness was recognized 

by these students to the extent 

that they chose to walk away 

from the familiarity of friends to 

begin again. 

39

Understanding Doubling Up: The “Hidden Homeless” 



40 

Millions of children and their 

families experience 

homelessness every year across 

the United States. 

Unfortunately, that number 

continues to rise. Lack of 

affordable housing, a reduced 

number of shelter beds, and an 

underfunded structure to 

support homeless families make 

it almost impossible for some 

families to get out of the cycle 

of poverty and housing 

instability (National Center for 

Homeless Education, 2013). 

Many turn to family and 

friends in their search for a 

place to call home. However, 

the reality is that the experience 

of living doubled up is very 

different than having a home. 

Due to negative stereotypes, 

homeless doubled-up students 

often live “double lives.” The 

stigmas associated with 

homelessness lead the majority 

to hide their living situations 

from their peers and from the 

available support system. Many 

resist available resources out of 

pride or shame, while others do 

not consider themselves eligible 

for services. “I am embarrassed, 

I’m scared, and I don’t want 

people to look at me like I am 

waiting for the free handout,” 

said Jorge, a homeless JCPS 

student. 

The McKinney-Vento Law 

defines who is homeless and 

provides certain rights and 

protections for homeless 

students. Its definition includes 

children and youths who are 

sharing the housing of other 

persons due to loss of housing, 

economic hardship, or a similar 

reason (doubled-up) (Act. 42 

U.S.C. §11434A(2)(B)(i). The 

Homeless Education Program 

is designed to address the 

problems that homeless 

children and youth have faced 

in enrolling, attending, and 

succeeding in school under the 

McKinney-Vento Law. 

Appropriate identification is 

critical in order to provide 

services to eligible students. It is 

important to note that not all 

doubled-up situations are 

considered homeless. 

Sharing the Housing of 

Other Persons Due to Loss 

of Housing, Economic 

Photo, Google Images 

Hardship, or a Similar 

Reason—How to Identify 

Families in This Situation 

“Sharing the housing of other 

persons …” infers that the 

student or family is staying in 

another person’s home. Some 

appropriate questions can help 

you determine if a doubled-up 

situation is considered homeless 

or not. Did the student or 

family lose their previous 

housing due to an eviction or 

an inability to pay the rent or 

other bills? Does the student 

have a legal right to be in that 

home? Can the student or 

family be asked to leave at any 

time with no legal recourse? Is 

the living situation intended to 

be temporary or long-term? 

Did the student or family move 

into the home as an urgent 

measure to avoid being on the 

street or in another precarious 

situation? Is the student more 

like a guest in that home? 

“… due to loss of housing ...” 

infers that the student or family 

has no personal housing 

available. Did the student or 

family lose their previous 



housing due to an eviction or an inability to pay the 

rent or other bills? Did the student or family 

experience the destruction of or damage to the 

previous home? Did the student or family 

experience abuse or neglect (such as in the case of a 

youth who leaves or is asked to leave the home)? 

Did the student or family experience unhealthy 

conditions, such as an inadequate physical 

environment, infestations, drug or alcohol abuse in 

the home, or domestic violence? Did the student 

experience the absence of a parent/guardian due to 

abandonment, the parent’s/guardian’s 

incarceration, or another similar reason? 

“… economic hardship …” includes cases where 

limited financial resources have forced families or 

youth to leave personal residences and share 

housing due to an inability to pay rent and other 

bills. 

Generally, the way that the shared housing came 

about and the purpose of the residents are 

significant; therefore, determinations about 

eligibility must be made on a case-by-case basis. 

Families who share adequate housing due to 

cultural preferences or convenience would not be 

covered by the act. Also, families who are sharing 

housing on a permanent basis due to convenience 

are unlikely to be covered by the act. 

41 

Reflection: Volunteers of America 

Homeless Study Buddy Program 

By Tonda Montgomery 

My role as a tutor at Volunteers of America has 

afforded me numerous opportunities to enhance my 

role as an educator and to reflect on how my role as 

an educator has evolved and helped me put into 

practice the saying “It takes a village.” 

As a science lab teacher, I have the opportunity to 

share my love of science with every student at 

Brandeis Elementary. I believe that science gives us 

an opportunity to address the achievement gap 

among struggling students and to address a myriad 

of concerns among at-risk students. 

Science is engaging and exciting, and it allows 

students an opportunity to experience challenges, 

think critically, and enhance content understanding 

—all while providing a safe environment. 

Benefits of Hands-On Teaching 

• Develops critical-thinking skills 

• Encourages communication and builds 

language skills 

• Restores focus and sparks engagement 

• Provides a path to success for disadvantaged 

students. It has been demonstrated that 

students who are disadvantaged 

economically or academically gain the most 

from activity-based programs (Bredderman, 

39–41). 

Hands-on learning inspires all students to meet and 

exceed high standards for learning and 

participation, while engaging multiple senses (e.g., 

sight, sound, touch). Students have an opportunity 

to interact within a team and to learn valuable 

social skills while engaging in content. 

Working at Volunteers of America has stretched my 

creativity to provide students with an opportunity to 

respect the learning and thinking environment and 

to understand that learning is a part of your life 

that can never be taken away. At Volunteers of 

America, a constant struggle is consistency and the 

implementation of a structured, safe environment 

for students to succeed. Structure is a task. Our 

students often present reactive behaviors to any 

type of stimuli or conversation. Our current setup is 

one room with several stations that have been set up 

to provide students with a sense of private space 

and ownership of that space. Our students are 

learning to respect their areas and demonstrate a 

respect for the learning environment. Students at 

Volunteers of America are learning to discover how 

to have a voice in their learning beyond the 

constraints they are experiencing. Exciting!


42 

Homeless Children: Risk and Resilience 

By Dr. Stacy M. Deck–Associate Professor of Social Work, 

Spalding University 

“No one should 

experience 

homelessness—no one 

should be without a 

safe, stable place to call 

home” (U.S. 

Interagency Council on 

Homelessness, 2015, p. 

9). These words 

describe a federal-level 

vision for ending 

homelessness that was 

originally defined in 

2010 and reaffirmed in 

Photo, Spalding University 

2015. Yet, despite these 

intentions, the number of homeless children in the 

U.S.—2.5 million, or 1 in 30—has reached a 

historic high and is continuing to grow (Bassuk E. 

L., DeCandia, Beach, & Berman, 2014, p. 14). In 

2014-15, an unduplicated 6,483 Jefferson County 

Public Schools students experienced homelessness 

in Jefferson County. They represented 21% of all 

homeless students in Kentucky. Including those 

who are too young for school, the most recent 

estimate of the number of Kentucky children who 

are homeless exceeded 66,000 (Bassuk E. L., 

DeCandia, Beach, & Berman, 2014). As Marian 

Wright Edelman has said, “Homeless shelters, child 

hunger, and child suffering have become 


normalized in the richest nation on earth. It’s time 

to reset our moral compass and redefine how we 

measure success” (Edelman, 2012). 

Research has shown that as a result of an 

inadequate supply of affordable housing, economic 

insecurity, domestic violence, and lack of or 

inconsistent social support (Aratani, 2009), families 

are at increasing risk of homelessness. 

Homelessness often results from the cascading 

effects of accumulating risks, many of which are 

also experienced by poor and low-income children. 

Homeless children are at the extreme end of a risk 

continuum (Masten, Miliotis, Graham-Bermann, 

Ramirez, & Neemann, 1993; Miller, 2011), which 

often exposes them to additional threats including 

food insecurity, poorer physical and mental health, 

social problems, and violence, abuse and trauma 

(Aratani, 2009; Moore, 2013). Negative 

educational outcomes such as increased school 

mobility, absenteeism, lower test scores or academic 

achievement, grade retention, emotional and 

behavioral problems, and social isolation can result 

(Bowman, Dukes, & Moore, 2012; Miller, 2011). 

It is critical to recognize, however, that not all 

homeless children and youths experience these 

negative outcomes. Both risk and resilience are 

observed among these students. In spite of 

obstacles and vulnerability, some homeless children 

excel in school and in life. Research shows that 

outcomes can be influenced by children’s age at the 



43 

time they are homeless, the setting where they 

live while experiencing unstable housing, the 

length of exposure to homeless, and the number 

of episodes they experience (Miller, 2011). Child 

characteristics such as cognitive skills and 

executive functioning can moderate the effects of 

homelessness, and good parenting and support 

from other adults can also serve as protective 

factors that foster resilience (Bowman, Dukes, & 

Moore, 2012). 

The American Psychological Association (APA) 

defines resilience as “the process of adapting well 

in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy or 

significant sources of stress… It means ‘bouncing 

back’ from difficult experiences” (American 

Psychological Association, 2015). Importantly, 

the APA notes that resilience is not a trait, but 

rather a set of learned behaviors, thoughts and 

actions, which can be built by making 

connections. Monn et al. (2013, p. 6) referred to 

resilience as “the adaptive systems within the 

child, family, and community that function to 

help children achieve appropriate development 

despite risk and adversity,” and Masten (2001) 

referred to the process of developing resilience as 

“ordinary magic.” Along with personal 

characteristics, affirming relationships with 

caring adults, and effective parenting, Cutuli, 

Herbers, Lafavor and Masten (2008) cited 

positive friends, supportive cultural systems, and 

effective teachers and schools as protective/ 

promotive factors common among young 

persons who are resilient. In other words, 

relationships offer an important form of 

protection. Moore (2013, p. 7) concluded that it 

is “evident that positive relationships support 

resilience when considering the variety of 

protective factors that are relational in nature: 

positive relationships with caregivers; a sense of 

belonging to the community; supportive 

relationships with teachers; friendships with 

peers; strong family relationships; early family 

connections; high levels of parental warmth; 

supportive and warm relationships with fathers; 

and relationships with extended kin.” She 

emphasized that even one significant and 

dependable relationship can make a difference. 

Unfortunately, children who experience high 

levels of housing and school mobility may 

experience a series of broken or interrupted 

relationships that can weaken their resilience. 

What, then, can we do to support these children 

and youths? The Jefferson County Public 

Schools Homeless Education program develops 

and maintains a comprehensive education 

program and coordinates resources and services 

for homeless students living in any temporary 

living arrangement because of the lack of a 

fixed, regular, and adequate residence. The 

program’s mission is to foster a climate where 

each student is positively received and not 

stigmatized or isolated. The program 

coordinates the process of identifying 

McKinney-Vento eligible children and youths 

(that is, students who are eligible for the rights, 

protections and services they are guaranteed 

under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education 

Assistance Improvements Act of 2001). Among 

the most important features of this law are the 

rights to: 

• Attend school with no requirement for 

length of residency; 

• Remain in their home school instead of 

transferring to a new school if they 

choose; 

• Get help with enrolling in school 

immediately and receiving transportation 

to and from school; and 

• Receive services such as preschool 

education, free school meals, Title I 

services, special education, gifted and 

talented education, and before- and afterschool 

care as needed. 

Teachers can help students experiencing 

homelessness by (a) learning about and 

realigning perceptions of homelessness, (b) 

examining the classroom environment and 

culture, (c) providing supports to increase 

academic performance, (d) using targeted 

interventions to increase students’ resilience and 

executive function, (e) adapting the curriculum, 

(f) assisting students who transfer during the 

school year to become oriented and make social 

connections, and (g) increasing homeless 

students’ and families’ engagement with peers, 

teachers and school personnel (Masten, Cutuli, 

Herbers, Hinz, Obradovic, & Wenzel, 2014; 

Moore, 2013; Rumberger, 2015). School 

counselors and other support personnel can help 

to meet students’ basic survival needs; promote 

safe, secure relationships; encourage parent 

engagement; provide or refer students to 

counseling as needed; and offer or obtain 

academic supports and career planning services 

(Havlik, Brady, & Gavin, 2014). The community 

can assist by providing supportive services, safety 



44 

net programs, and most importantly, access to fair 

and affordable housing. We must work together to 

prevent and end homelessness. It has been said it 

takes a village to raise a child. In the end, perhaps 

the most important strategy we can adopt is to 

strengthen relationships and build community. 

Because these are our children, we must work 

together to reduce the risks they face and increase 

the protective factors we offer them. 

References: 

American Psychological Association. (2015). The Road to Resilience. Retrieved from http:// 

www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx 

Aratani, Y. (2009). Homeless children and youth: Causes and consequences. New York, NY: 

National Center for Children in Poverty. 

Bassuk, E. L., DeCandia, C. J., Beach, C. A., & Berman, F. (2014). America's youngest 

outcasts: A report card on child homelessness. Waltham, MA: American Institutes 

for Research. 

Bowman, D., Dukes, C., & Moore, J. (2012). Summary of the state of research on the relationship 

between homelessness and academic achievement among school-age children and youth. 

Browns Summit, NC: National Center for Homeless Education. 

Who Is “Homeless?” Depends on 

Who You Ask 


Understanding the definition of homeless is critical 

when navigating agencies that serve highly mobile 

families. While both the U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the 

U.S. Department of Education (ED) base their 

services and eligibility criteria on the McKinney- 

Vento Homeless Assistance Act, each agency uses a 

different definition of homeless due to differences in 

the federal statute. 

Both agencies consider individuals who lack a 

fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence to 

be homeless. Both definitions include the following 

living arrangements: camping grounds, emergency 

shelters, transitional housing, public or private 

places not designed for or ordinarily used as a 

regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, 

cars, parks, abandoned buildings, and bus or train 

stations. The HUD definition is more restrictive, 

while the ED expands it definition to include other 

living arrangements. 

In addition to living arrangements listed above, the 

ED considers people living in the following 

situations homeless: 

Cutuli, J. J., Herbers, J. E., Lafavor, T. L., & Masten, A. S. (2008). Promoting 

competence and resilience in the school context. Professional School Counseling, 

12(2), 76-84. 

Edelman, M. W. (2012, August 3). Child Watch Column: "The State of America's Children 

2012". Retrieved from Children's Defense Fund: http:// 

www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/child-watch-columns/child-watchdocuments/the-state-of-americas-children-1.html 

Havlik, S. A., Brady, J., & Gavin, K. (2014). Exploring the needs of students 

experiencing homelessness from school counselors' perspectives. Journal of 

School Counseling, 12(20), 1-38. 

Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American 

Psychologist, 56, 227-238. 

Masten, A. S., Cutuli, J. J., Herbers, J. E., Hinz, E., Obradovic, J., & Wenzel, A. J. (2014). 

Academic risk and resilience in the context of homelessness. Child 

Development Perspectives, 8(4), 201-206. 

Masten, A. S., Miliotis, D., Graham-Bermann, S. A., Ramirez, M., & Neemann, J. 

(1993). Children in homeless families: Risks to mental health and 

development. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 335-343. 

Miller, P. M. (2011). A critical analysis of the research on student homelessness. Review of 

Educational Research, 81(3), 308-337. 

Monn, A. R., Casey, E. C., Wenzel, A. J., Sapienza, J. K., Kimball, A., Mack, B., et al. 

(2013). Risk and resilience in homeless children. St. Paul, MN: University of 

Minnesota Extension. 

Moore, J. (2013). Research summary: Teaching and classroom strategies for homeless and highly 

mobile students. Greensboro, NC: National Center for Homeless Education. 

Rumberger, R. W. (2015). Student mobility: Causes, consequences, and solutions. Boulder, CO: 

National Education Policy Center. 

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. (2015). Opening doors: Federal strategic plan to 

prevent and end homelessness. Washington, DC: Author. 

• Sharing the housing of other persons due to 

loss of housing, economic hardship, or a 

similar reason 

• Living in hotels, motels, trailer parks, or 

camping grounds due to the lack of 

alternative adequate accommodations 

• Living in substandard housing 

The difference in definitions can explain why the 

numbers released by one agency do not resemble 

the second agency. Homeless count trends from 

one agency can inform practice for other agencies. 

Additionally, other public data that are easily 

available, such as unemployment, poverty rates, 

uninsured rates (healthcare) could help service 

providers collaborate to more accurately identify 

homeless students. For example, the homeless 

identification process should be carefully reviewed 

for errors when the number of students identified is 

low but unemployment or poverty rates are high or 

when the number of students identified by HUD is 

decreasing but the number of students identified by 

ED is increasing. This type of data examination 

has been proven effective to strengthen the school 

improvement plans required under state and 

federal law to improve outcomes for children and 

youth experiencing homelessness.


45 

Doing Our Part 

By Masooma Seyal and Jennifer Freeman 

Imagine walking on the 

sidewalk texting your 

friend about how your day 

was going, but then 

suddenly something 

catches your 

attention….it’s a little 

boy…without a blanket, 

wearing barely any clothes, 

Photo, Jennifer Freeman 

crying in the middle of the 

sidewalk. You decide to 

approach the little boy and help him find a place 

where he would feel welcomed, a place where he 

can stay warm, a place where he can get a hot plate 

of food. That’s what the Redhawk Rangers at 

Seneca High School do regularly. This incredible 

journey has allowed the club the help feed people in 

need, such as to serve at the Lord’s Kitchen each 

month, JCPS Homeless department stuffing 

backpacks, Salvation Army dinner program, Dare 

to Care hunger walk, and the grandparents 

program at the Jewish Community Center, and 

many more amazing experiences. The National 

HealthCare for Homeless Council defines homeless 

as “an individual who lacks hosing, including an individual 

whose primary residence during the night is a supervised 

public or private facility (e.g. shelters) that provide temporary 

living accommodations, and an individual who is resident in 

transitional housing.” [Section 330 of the Public 

Health Service Act (42 U.S.C., 254b)] 

There are 3.5 million people who experience 

homelessness each year. The RedHawk Rangers 

wanted to do their part. As a member of 

Lead2Feed, the fastest grown free leadership 

program, our first priority is to do our part to 

eradicate hunger in our local community. We 

teamed with the JCPS Homeless Education 

department to stuff over 200 backpacks with 

needed school supplies for homeless students in our 

school district. We included a health fruit and 

protein snack in each backpack. After this 

experience, Natalie confessed, “It makes me feel 

downhearted, now I’m inspired to do my best to 

help them and make their day better” – Natalie 

Zamora, President, RedHawk Rangers. Everyone 

deserves a chance to learn. “Education is the only 

way to improve your current living conditions,” Ms. 

Jennifer Freeman, Seneca High School RedHawk 

Ranger Sponsor. Our volunteer work throughout 

this city elevates barriers for others in our 

community to survive and thrive. “It is our 

responsibility to do our part to feed as many people 

as possible,” Mrs. Juanita Castillo, Seneca High 

RedHawk Rangers Sponsor. On that charge, we 

committed to volunteer each month at the Lord’s 

Kitchen 2014-2015 school year. We submitted our 

work and projects to the Lead2Feed world food 

challenge competition and we were able to win 

second place. We were so excited! The win became 

much sweeter when we were able to donate $10,000 

to our charity The Lord’s Kitchen as result of our 

second place win. 

We didn’t stop there this year we have teamed with 

the organization Hand in Hand Ministries. They 

care committed to improve living conditions for 

people around the world. They provide health care 

and education in Belize and Nicaragua. With Hand 

in Hand, the RedHawk Rangers traveled to Auxier, 

Kentucky in September to repair homes damaged 

by the summer storms or just due to old age. If was 

a life changing experience for us. We also donated 

200 food and toiletry items for their food pantry. 

Ms. Freeman shares with the group, “Being a child 

that often felt unsure on where I will sleep some 

nights, it warms my heart to know people like Hand 

in Hand making sure every person has a warm dry 

place to sleep each night” The trip was a bounding 

experience for every member and fortified our 

promise to continue to help the homeless any way 

we can. “ I feel that I am not only helping them, 

but instead they are helping me, it’s a multi 

beneficial relationship because not only are they 

getting what they need, but in return I receive much 

happiness to know they will sleep better because of 

me”- Jaque Glenn, Communication director of 

Seneca RedHawk Rangers. Although we have 

helped many in our community in need of food or 

shelter, “we look forward to improving the current 

living conditions of many more of the 3.5 million 

people that are homeless. This is just the beginning. 

The RedHawk Rangers have much more work to 

do.” Masooma Seyal, treasurer and Media 

Coordinator of Seneca RedHawk Rangers. Our 

club motto is “Have a heart, Lend a Hand” and we 

are dedicated to do just that near and far.


Meeting Homeless and Highly-Mobile 

Student Needs INSIDE the 

Classroom; Teaching and Classroom 

Strategies 


Many educators 

may be aware 

of the physical 

resources 

available to 

Homeless and 

Highly-Mobile 

(HHM) students 


like 

transportation, clothing, schools supplies, etc. 

However, many educators may wonder, “Now 

what? How do we impact HHM students while in 

the classroom?” A study from the National Center 

for Homeless Education, “Teaching and Classroom 

Strategies for Homeless and Highly Mobile 

Students” (Moore, 2003), answers these questions 

for teachers offering strategies to teachers. 

Strategies focus on helping teachers realign 

perception, improving classroom environment/ 

culture, improving academic performance, and 

increasing social engagement specifically for our 

HHM students. 

While reviewing the strategies below, ask yourself, 

what strategies are we using at my school or 

institution and which strategies could we 

implement. Taking a moment to reflect on your 

current practice of meeting the needs of HHM 

students may result in breaking down the barriers to 

achievement that our HHM students face daily. 

Strategies to Help Teachers Realign Their Own 

Perceptions 

• Examine personal beliefs about 

homelessness to become aware of biases 

and perceptions. To enhance understanding, 

take a course, volunteer at a homeless 

shelter or soup kitchen, or form a discussion 

group. 

• Learn about the McKinney-Vento Act and 

its legal protections for homeless children 

and unaccompanied youth. 

• Become familiar with available community 

resources specifically for children and 

families in order to advocate and network to 

help meet students’ needs. 

• Homelessness and high mobility can include 

peer problems, poor hygiene, frequent 

absences, inappropriate clothing, and 

incomplete homework. Learn to recognize 

the warning signs. 

• Avoid assuming that HHM children all 

share common behaviors and attitudes. 

• Use staff work days to go into 

neighborhoods and homeless shelters to 

meet with parents. 

Strategies to Help Teachers Improve the Classroom 

Environment/Culture 

• Examine the student’s record for grades, 

attendance, and background information. 

• Spend some individual time in the first 

couple of days to encourage students, ensure 

they are adjusting well, and that they 

understand your willingness to help. 

• Offer tutoring or review time before or after 

school or at lunch. 

• Watch for indications that the student is 

struggling to adjust academically, socially, 

or psychologically. 

• Create referral procedures for new students 

who have difficulty adjusting. 

• Form a “new student” group. 

• Set up a mentoring or peer buddy program. 

46 



• Offer a welcome bag or backpack with school 

supplies and snacks. 

• Keep snacks in the classroom for students 

who are so hungry they fall asleep. 

• Respect students’ right to privacy. Everyone 

does not need to know about their living 

arrangements. 

• Ensure that students do not feel singled out 

because of their living circumstances. 

Strategies to Help Teachers Improve the Academic 

Performance of HHM Students 

• Provide clear, achievable expectations. While 

it is important to consider their challenges and 

show compassion to HHM students, do not 

lower academic requirements for them. 

• Offer tutoring. Thirty or forty minutes a few 

times a week can dramatically increase a 

homeless child’s achievement level 

(Knowlton, 2006). 

• Assemble a packet with information and 

expectations for each class. 

• Be aware that each school move can delay 

academic progress and that many HHM 

students find it more difficult to engage and 

learn because of their prior negative school 

experiences, such as attending schools where 

transient students were not well supported. 

• Be flexible with assignments. Some tasks, 

such as projects requiring materials that 

students cannot afford, might be difficult or 

impossible for mobile students to complete. 

Assignments to write about a summer 

vacation, conduct a backyard science project, 

construct a family tree, or bring in a baby 

picture can be impossible for a child who has 

moved frequently or suddenly. Instead, offer 

several alternatives from which all students 

can choose. 

• Allow students to finish assignments 

independently, or give them the opportunity to 

complete tasks at their own pace. 

• Create a portfolio to document the student’s 

work, personal characteristics, and preferred 

learning style. If the student must transfer, the 

portfolio offers the next teacher a quick, easy 

way to pick up where the former teacher left 

off (Berliner, 2002). 

• Rather than interpreting parental absences as a 

lack of commitment to their children’s 

education, ask families what you can do to 

support an ongoing partnership. Phone 

conferences might be a good alternative. 

Initiating an interactive journal with the parent 

about what’s happening at school and at home 

could help with teacher–parent dialogue. 

• Offer after-hours (evening or Saturday) and 

off-site parent meetings. 

• Talk with parents about class expectations and 

the challenges of changing schools mid-year. 

Strategies for Teachers to Increase Social 

Engagement 

• Assign a peer mentor or buddy to facilitate an 

easier adjustment period for new students. 

• Connect the student with an adult mentor 

from the school or community. Offer older 

youth the option of choosing the person. 

Strategies mentioned above come from the National 

Center for Homeless Education by Jan Moore, August 

2013 Research Summary, “Teaching and Classroom 

Strategies for Homeless and Highly Mobile Students” 

• 

47


48 

Metro Housing Coalition: Creating 

Paths to Homeownership and Self- 

Sustainability! 

By Cathy Hinko, Executive Director Metropolitan Housing 

Coalition 

The Metropolitan Housing 

Coalition (MHC) is a 25 year 

old non-profit organization 

focused on fair and affordable 

housing. We know that where 

people live, as well as whether 

the housing is safe and stable, 

is a major factor in being able 

to wake up ready for the 

challenges and opportunities 

the world has to offer. This is 

an obvious truth that those in the educational arena 

know better than anyone. 

JCPS has 

been a great 

partner with 

MHC as we 

explore the 

link between 

housing and 

student 

achievement. 

In 2009, we collaborated on the groundbreaking 

report “Where Do You Live: Louisville’s Homeless Children 

and the Affordable Housing Crisis”. Now we are focused 

on fair housing opportunities. 

It has been an exciting year of change for fair and 

affordable housing. After five years of work by MHC, 

homebuilders, and many others, the Louisville Metro 

Council voted in the first civil rights fair housing 

ordinance on zoning in fifty years. Only the inclusion 

of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected 

classes in housing has been as significant. 

Most importantly, this represents a paradigm shift. 

There is consensus that our old policies in land 

development played a role in keeping segregation 

patterns so intense. Every Council Member, even 

those who did not vote in favor, recognized we must 

have housing that is affordable to low wage workers in 

every part of Jefferson County. 

In late June of this 

year, the U.S. 

Supreme Court 

rendered an 

opinion on how a 

fair housing 

disparate-impact 

case can be constructed. Within the Court’s opinion 

are several important points that make Louisville 

vulnerable to a disparate-impact claim in fair housing: 

1) geography matters, 2) where low-income people 

live can be entwined with racial segregation through 

statistics, 3) a case can be made without having to 

prove intent, only impact and causation, and 4) we 

can look at whether there are other, less 

discriminatory ways to carry out the activity. Reading 

this case reaffirms that Louisville is taking the right 

course of action in regards to fair and affordable 

housing but that more must be done. 

In addition to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD) released final regulations that require a 

jurisdiction to do planning which includes other 

systems that impact the availability of fair housing 

choice. The regulation requires an analysis to 

Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) by 

looking at what role housing providers, 

transportation, clean environment, and other 

industries and services play in overall process. 

Our community needs to start the conversation on 

how Louisville is positioned in regard to the Fair 

Housing Act and the AFFH planning mandates. Are 

we vulnerable? What are our strengths and 

weaknesses? There is an important role for Jefferson 

County Public Schools. We need to raise questions 

that will help us plan for a future of true fair housing 

choice.


49 



50 Continued on next page


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Editor—Catherine Collesano 

Editor, Photo Contributor—Abdul Sharif 

Credits 

Special thanks to all of our community partners and educators who helped make this special edition of 

Envision Equity possible. 

Envision Equity is a publication of the JCPS Department of Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Programs. All 

submissions should be sent to Catherine Collesano at catherine.collesano@jefferson.kyschools.us or Abdul 

Sharif at abdul.sharif2@jefferson.kyschools.us. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber or a 

contributor to Envision Equity, please contact one of the editors at the above email address. 

www.jefferson.kyschools.us 

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