The local school district has seen higher numbers of students in transition this fall but feels the program to address youth homelessness is working better to identify those individuals.
Pegge Erkeneff with the school district says as of Thursday, November 12, there are 183 homeless students already enrolled in the Students in Transition Program.
Erkeneff: “The number to remember is 253, that’s kind of the average number of students we have through our program every year. So it’s a little bit higher this year, last year was a warmer fall so our numbers were down a little bit in the fall, they’re definitely on the rise this year. I think we’re doing a better job of being able to identify who our students are as well so that we can get them the supports and services that they need so they can stay in school.”
She says over the past year the community awareness has grown, largely due to local student efforts.
Erkeneff: “It’s an invisible reality on the Peninsula, we don’t see people on the side of the streets here when we’re driving around, we don’t experience seeing people who are homeless in the same way that we might in a big city. So some of the students at the local schools have recognized that their peers are experiencing homelessness or couch surfing so they’ve reached out and have been wanting to get involved. We’ve really seen some amazing projects that they’ve done in the past year in helping create awareness.”
Next Thursday, November 19, from 6-7 pm, the district’s program will host the 6th Annual Candlelight Vigil to raise awareness in Soldotna’s Farnsworth Park.
Erkeneff says staff will address how community members can help local homeless youth at the event.