Enumclaw Schools, Community Work Together to Help Homeless Students

Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a special report looking at the growing number of homeless students in Enumclaw schools and how the district tries to meet their needs. Today, we also look at the homelessness has on children. Previously, Patch looked at the on the district of making sure homeless students get to stay in their original schools. Patch partnered with Investigate West for this report.

When a student is homeless, the must identify and track the student’s status and guarantee transportation so the student can stay at his or her original school. The goal is to provide stability that helps students learn better.

But the district’s policy and outreach extends beyond that task. A staff liaison helps to coordinate references to local social service agencies, and state and local housing agencies, to help fill in the gaps for homeless students and their families.

Besides transportation, homeless students can access the free and reduced lunch program for all students based on family income. The Enumclaw Schools Foundation, a non-profit organization made up of community members with an interest in helping to financially support academic and extracurricular programs in the school district  has helped pay for certain students’ needs, such as athletic or course fees, said Tim Madden, director of business and operations for the Enumclaw School District. And in the state, the Saul Haas Foundation, now known as InvestED, also help students meet immediate course needs, he said.

Aaron Stanton, the district’s director of student support services, said the district has involved local agencies including and , or EYFS, to help round out the help a homeless family might need, including emergency funding, housing assistance and food.

Gary Hemminger, director of EYFS, said his agency operates a four-unit transitional housing program in the city. To qualify, the applicant must be a family of at least one adult and one child under age 18. Those who are chosen for the program are given the chance to stay in a fully furnished apartment for two years while they work to fulfill several contract goals, which may include going back to school and ultimately, finding employment and a viable source of income. If successful, they will file into the federal Section 8 program for low-income housing and get the benefit of “cutting in line,” meaning they don’t need to start at the bottom of the waiting list for housing.

The program is seeing a 50 percent success rate, Hemminger said, meaning that two of the four families won’t complete the program successfully, but organizers are aiming for a 75 percent success rate.

“Two years is pretty fast and a lot of the times, they’re not ready,” said Chris Adkins, an EYFS case manager and social worker who manages the transitional housing program.

The children of her clients, however, seem to fare well, Adkins said. She has a client whose three children are honor students, with one child who volunteers regularly in town and has a full scholarship to the University of Washington next year. She attributes their success to the confidence boost they gain by watching their parent get back on their feet through the transitional housing program.

“When they’re moving from place to place, it never feels like they’re home. [With one client], I saw the excitement on his son’s face when he saw the apartment. I see a positive effect on the kids. They don’t want to leave and I wish there was a way to change things around so they didn’t have to leave.”

For more information about Enumclaw School District’s homeless student resources, contact Aaron Stanton at 360-802-7104 or email aaron_stanton@enumclaw.wednet.edu.