Many students and parents alike are eager for the start of the new school year, but the stakes are higher for some than others. Rising evictions and homelessness mean more families this year will count on our public schools to meet a variety of their children’s basic needs.
“Schools are the only social service agency this country guarantees,” said Shawn Lambert, assistant superintendent of Brunswick School Department, who oversees the district’s services for homeless youth under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. “School is where we see those societal breakdowns manifest. And it’s an opportunity to intervene.”
Brunswick, Regional School Unit 1, and Maine School Administrative District 75 all have opened food pantries in recent years and operate backpack programs to send students of all ages home with nonperishable food to feed their whole families. After many districts added more social workers and mental health providers in 2021, some are also adding health clinics. RSU 1 has opened a school-based health center at Morse High School, staffed by a medical assistant, nurse practitioner, social worker and dental practitioner.
“Some families have trouble making sure their students get checkups, a physical for sports, and vaccines,” said Katie Joseph, assistant superintendent and McKinney-Vento Liaison in RSU 1. “For that student who might not have a ride or a family car, this helps them participate fully.”
Districts also spend a great deal of time and money providing transportation so that students can have stability in their schooling even if they have been dislocated due to homelessness.
“This is only one piece of my job, but on days when I get word of a new student who is homeless, I stop whatever I’m doing — truly,” Joseph said. “Because I know that if I don’t, that student is potentially not going to come to school. It takes #1 priority over any other project or need.”
Despite these herculean efforts, there are limits to how much schools can reduce strain on families who are contending with inadequate housing.
“Imagine a whole family sleeping in front of an open oven to keep themselves warm,” said Heidi O’Leary, interim superintendent of MSAD 75, relating the story of a family living without electricity, who were advised to weather cold nights by bundling up on the kitchen floor. Although many families known to lack stable housing stay out of the elements by doubling up temporarily in the homes of friends or family, O’Leary also emphasized the impact when this forces families to split up among different locations: “You’ll have a family where the student has to move with the father, and then the mother has to stay somewhere else, and then the baby has to be with the mother. Homelessness can completely change the family dynamic.”
Joel Merry, Sagadahoc County sheriff and former board chair of the United Way of Midcoast Maine, emphasized the lifelong toll on younger kids. “When someone says ‘youth homelessness,’ we instantly think of high school kids couch surfing. But what about a first grader or second grader? If your life is turned upside down because you’re sleeping in a car or a tent, what impact does that have? We know that a kiddo being able to read and comprehend by the third grade will sometimes dictate their entire educational future. So having a stable home for those kids is really important.”
The real rates of poverty and homelessness locally are higher than statistics capture. Cathy Cole, who leads community health for Lincoln Health, observed that although many in our communities have a livable income, families who are economically disadvantaged are also prevalent in Lincoln County.
“Children living in poverty and the extreme rent burden impact about one in six children in our region overall, but in towns like Waldoboro and Bristol, it’s nearly one in three children,” she said.
Tedford Housing operates the only emergency shelter between Portland and Rockland for families experiencing homelessness. In the last fiscal year 121 families, including 243 children, sought shelter with Tedford. We were able to eventually accommodate just 13 of those families due to lack of capacity. We must do more, so Tedford is in the midst of raising $8.3 million to build an emergency housing facility that will expand our capacity and transform our ability to mitigate homelessness in the southern Midcoast. You can accelerate Tedford’s progress toward creating more possibilities for every Midcoast family to thrive. Visit tedfordhousing.org or give me a call. My door’s always open.
Andrew Lardie is interim executive director of Tedford Housing. Giving voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community.
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