Homeless Student Numbers Broken Down By District

Community Unit School District 300 at last count reported 332 homeless students within the district, said Barbara Kelly, director of pupil personnel services.

District 300’s homeless students hale from all parts of the district, and the numbers by communities are:

• Carpentersville 169
• Algonquin 80
• West Dundee 31
• Hampshire 27
• Lake in the Hills 18
• Gilberts 5
• Sleepy Hollow 2

Homeless numbers are important to school districts because when a family loses its home, it’s the district’s responsibility to assist the children and keep them in their home school, if requested.

By law, school districts must waive registration and lunch fees, provide school supplies and arrange transportation to and from school, regardless of how far a child has moved away.

Kelly said District 300, with a student body of 20,544 children, covers the costs associated with bussing the students, and offering school supplies, with a $12,500 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funded through the Kane County Regional Board of Education office. The two-year grant expires in June.

Lending Support: Community Steps in to Help

Kelly credited the surrounding community for lending additional support to the 332 families. In December, the Algonquin Commons collected more than 1,000 winter coats for children in need.

“The community and staff are very giving, both monetarily and with supplies and materials,” Kelly said.

Elgin Area School District U-46 currently reports more than 500 homeless students, which is more than this time last year, said U-46 Homeless Liaison Maggie Dempsey. The district has 40,000 students, and by the end of last year, identified 600 students as homeless.

“Most of our families are in the doubled-up category,” Dempsey said. “They are living with friends or families, but those relatives are not financial responsible for them. They are living at the discretion of other people.”

District 158

Community Consolidated District 158, serving nearly 9,000 students from Lake in the Hills, Huntley and Algonquin, has identified 15 homeless students, according to Associate Superintendent Terry Awrey.

The district works to keep the students on track, even though many are moving from home to home.

“We have social workers and a dedicated teaching staff, and I think we are able to keep the kids up to speed," Awrey said. "Homelessness is usually a temporary situation. Next year, we’ll have a different group of homeless kids.”

District 155

Community High School District 155, home to 7,000 students from Crystal Lake, Cary, Fox River Grove, Prairie Grove and Lake in the Hills, reports having 15 homeless students, according to District Spokesman Jeff Puma.

District 47

Community Elementary School District 47, serving almost 9,000 children from Crystal Lake and parts of Lake in the Hills and Cary, currently has 33 homeless students, said Brenda Cox, director of assessment and accountability. Cox is also  the homeless liaison for the district.

“Our homeless numbers have tripled,” Cox said. “Five years ago, we averaged about eight homeless students. Their situations vary, and they come from all over the district. Usually the situation is resolved within a year or so once the families are hooked up with the county and get housing. But some homeless students have been in this situation for years. There’s no time limit on homelessness.”

“We’ve had kids move as far away as Elgin,” said Cox, who works in Crystal Lake. “Sometimes we transport both ways, and the other school district pays half of the transportation costs. Occasionally we have had to hire a cab to pick up children, especially if it’s close to the end of the school year.”