For more information please contact:

Maureen Chase
Program Director
707-441-2516

Funded by a Stewart B. McKinney federal grant, Eureka City Schools offers a program designed specifically to help Eureka City Schools homeless children and youth enroll, attend and succeed in school. The primary goal of this program is to help remove the barriers that stand in the way of school success for the homeless children and youth of our district.

The Homeless Education Project attempts to meet its goal by being a presence in the community in outreach offices located at The Serenity Inn Shelter as well as other venues frequented by homeless. Our first task is to identify homeless youth and children, and actively enroll them in our schools. Through enrollment, we give homeless children and youth access to the district's core curriculum and its wealth of special programs, services. extra curricular act ivies and opportunities that school offers a growing child.

Highlights of the program include:

Educational Liaison

Once enrolled, an Educational Liaison, employed by the district, takes the responsibility of ensuring that each homeless child is connected to the services in the school and community that they and their family need to most effortlessly allow school success to unfold. This could entail connection to special ed services, assistance in making connection with medical services, help procuring enrollment documents, collaboration with other agencies to ensure connection to other social services, or ensuring placement in a special program needed by the child.

Transportation

The Project sponsors district-wide transportation to and from school for any child deemed homeless which includes children residing in motels, substandard housing, shelters, transitional housing, camping, on the streets, runaways or doubled or tripled up with other families.

Tutor/Advocate Program

The project also sponsors a Tutor/Advocate Program in which homeless students are matched up with individual tutors to assist with academics and homework.

Saturday Morning Read-a-Loud

To foster reading literacy and a connection to literature The Homeless Education Project, in conjunction with HSU's YES program's Homeless Network Program, sponsors a story hour with fun related academic and art activities at The Serenity Inn Shelter on Saturday mornings.

The Backpack Project

In conjunction with Northern Mountain Supply, The Homeless Education Project has committed to provide each homeless student that enrolls in a Eureka City School a new backpack filled with school supplies including a book donated by KEET-TV's Ready to Learn program.

Other service include:

Shoe Vouchers

We distribute vouchers for homeless students to purchase new shoes at Payless Shoe Source.

Clothing Vouchers

To help homeless students have proper school attire, vouchers are distributed to acquire school clothing at the YSB Thrift Store in Eureka.

Hygiene Products are distributed

Laundry Vouchers

To help homeless families send their children to school in clean clothes, we distribute vouchers for soap, bleach and washing machines at local laundromats.

Laminating Services

To help families in transition in maintaining important documents, The Homeless Education Project will laminate birth certificates, immunization cards and other important records.

School Supplies

All supplies necessary to complete school and homework are available through The Homeless Education Project.

Mental Health Counseling

Counseling is available to help homeless families deal with the stress associated with being a fmily in transition.

Homework Help

On Tuesday evenings, Humboldt State University YES students provide homework help to homeless students residing at the Multiple Assistance Center (MAC)

For more information please contact:

Maureen Chase
Program Director
707- 441-2516