The Yellow School Bus Project: Helping Homeless Students Get Ready for School

Abstract

In this time of widespread reductions in welfare and social service assistance, communities need to find creative ways to help their neediest members. Ms. Vissing describes a model collaborative effort in Durham, New Hampshire, that preserves the dignity of homeless students. AS THE END of summer approaches and the first days of school draw near, most young people look forward to going shopping for new clothes and supplies. They arrive at school in their new shoes and clothes, carting backpacks stuffed with new binders, pens, pencils, crayons, and shiny protractors. Unfortunately, this is rarely the experience of homeless students. Homeless parents struggling to make ends meet can't afford the pens, loose-leaf paper, and other supplies their children need for school, let alone new polar-fleece sweaters or capri pants. Most homeless students must make do with hand-me-downs, secondhand clothes, and last year's jeans and tops. And, while parents may believe that the schools provide the supplies that their children will need, the kids know better -- if you don't have your own supplies, you either have to borrow them or do without. Even though homeless students may look forward to the start of the school year as a time of new beginnings and an opportunity for a fresh start, just walking through the door on the first day can be intimidating. Homeless students may fear that, without nice new clothes or well-stocked backpacks, they will not be accepted by their peers or, worse, will be targets of ridicule. More important, homeless students are almost certain to be at a disadvantage when it comes to doing the required schoolwork. It's a challenge for many homeless children to do their homework without access to home libraries or Internet-accessible computers, but some have difficulty even doing in-class work because they don't have the necessary supplies. As a result of federal welfare reform, state budget woes, and the recent economic downturn, welfare and social service assistance has been reduced at the same time as the number of homeless and needy children has grown. There has also been a decrease in charitable contributions to the needy in many communities, as some donors have shifted their contributions to assist victims of terrorism, and others simply have less money to give. In addition, many people concentrate their giving at the holidays, contributing food at Thanksgiving or coats and toys at Christmas. And, while these gifts provide blessed relief to parents of children in need, people generally forget that one of the most important days of a child's year is that first day of school. THE YELLOW SCHOOL BUS PROJECT The Yellow School Bus Project (YSBP) was created to provide homeless children with the supplies and clothes they need to succeed in school and feel good about themselves. When given these gifts, the children receive the explicit message that they are smart and worthwhile. They also receive the implicit message that there are people in the community who are invested in their success and who will help them. Based on our experiences in developing the YSBP, we recommend that others seeking to replicate the program in their communities develop organizational support, identify the need in the community, and create giving opportunities that connect donors to the children as much as possible. 1. Develop organizational support. Undertaking a public service endeavor that may become an integral part of a community's service infrastructure -- with families, schools, and shelters counting on it - - requires ongoing organizational support. The Yellow School Bus Project works best when multiple organizations -- religious, civic, fraternal, business, and nonprofit -- share sponsorship. In Durham, New Hampshire, the decision to create the YSBP as a joint endeavor grew out of communication between the director of the nonprofit Baboosic Center for Child and Community Development and the mission boards of local religious organizations that were looking for a community service project. …