The Dallas Independent School District Homeless Education Program is an initiative by the district to assist students experiencing homelessness.
Three children benefited from the initiative at Thomas Jefferson High School. After facing a domestic situation in Oklahoma, the family had to move to Dallas with no home. While trying to get a house, their mother, Quiana McCloud, got scammed and lost $1600.
Quiana, who felt responsible for her children’s homeless situation, learned about Dallas ISD’s Homeless Education Program and reached out to the school district. According to WFAA, the mother of three said the district has been helpful. “They have been just a Godsend ever since,” she said.
Dallas ISD’s Homeless Education Program helped her children with free clinics for immunizations and after-school activities. She also said her children were provided with school supplies, uniforms, backpacks, and DART passes to get them back and forth to school, said Quiana.
Quiana’s children are now in transitional housing while she saves money for a deposit and rent. While she said some days can be hard, she acknowledged that their situation has improved and encouraged other Dallas ISD families who need help to reach out to the Homeless Education Program.
According to WFAA, there are currently 2,800 students in Dallas who are without homes. The manager at DISD’s Homeless Education Program, Ashley Marshall, encourages students and families experiencing homelessness to reach out for help. “We want to connect them to all those things so that they see a way out of a homeless situation and don’t think that has to be their future.”
By January, Ashley expects an increase in the number of students who are homeless. She hopes that DISD’s Homeless Education Program can make as much impact in their lives as it did with Quiana’s family.
