HOUSTON — On Friday, the state’s largest school district helped students in need get ready for the first day of classes Monday.
Houston ISD gave out free food, school supplies, and offered health services at its Back-To-School Extravaganza outside Delmar Stadium.
The district labels nearly three-quarters of its students as "economically disadvantaged."
Among the thousands of families there were some experiencing homelessness.
HISD counted nearly 8,900 homeless students in the 2018-19 school year, out of 209,772 total enrolled.
During the 2017-18 school year, they counted nearly 30,000 students experiencing homelessness, largely due to Hurricane Harvey.
“A district this size, in theory, 20 percent of our population is homeless,” said Ilka Rosado, manager of Student Assistance with HISD’s Homeless Education Office. “We just under-identify.”
Rosado said the district counts its homeless students through a brief questionnaire.
Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, any student who lacks a nighttime fixed permanent residence is considered homeless.
That includes those staying with grandparents, at shelters, in transitional living centers, or at motels.
“They never want to be singled out, so we never do that,” said Ilka Rosado, Manager of Student Assistance with HISD’s Homeless Education Office. “So, once we support them and they know that somebody’s there to support them, it always makes them feel better. It makes their grades go up. They always improve once they know they have somebody behind them in their corner.”
The district provides homeless students with transportation, supplies, backpacks, uniforms, and referrals with no cutoff date.
Any student or family needing help can contact their school or the Homeless Education Office.
Anyone interested in donating or volunteering can also visit that website.
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