November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month. The Regional Office of Education 21 is working with the Area 6 McKinney Vento Homeless Education Program to raise awareness of the problem in southern Illinois.
The Regional Office of Education #21 administers the Area VI McKinney Vento Homeless Education Program for 27 counties in southern Illinois. The program provides federal funding for state and local school districts to serve homeless children in their schools. Last year they identified 69 hundred students who lack a fixed, regular, or adequate nighttime residents.
Lori LeQUatte is the superintendent of ROE #21. She says their work with the program is beginning to gain traction in addressing the growing homelessness problem. Students facing homelessness are more likely to miss school, have behavior problems in class, and fall behind their classmates. Through the McKinney Vento Program, local districts get help to identifying at risk students as well as training and resources.
LeQuatte says, "Many of our school districts have purchased just washer and dryers in order to let kids bring their clothes to school, wash them so they can come to school clean. And those are things that you really wouldn't think of unless you're in a school every day and you see it. It makes it really difficult for kids."
As part of National Homeless Youth Awareness month, LeQuatte says they're encouraging the community to get involved in this fight. Businesses, organizations and individuals are invited to join the Paint the Town Purple initiative from November 3rd through the 7th. Participants join the cause by wearing purple with colleagues and friends to show solidarity. They're also asking people to display signs and posters to raise awareness.
LeQuatte says the effort culminates with special events in Marion and Metropolis, "In Metropolis, we're going to light the Superman up in purple, and in Marion, we're going to light the square up with all their neat lights in purple and sign a proclamation with the mayors and go out and support and identify and bring everybody together."
The event in Metropolis is Wednesday November 5th at 5:20 and the event in Marion is November 6th at 5:30pm.
