College Education Possible for Homeless Students|Southern Education Desk 7-12-2012

Our House - A Shelter for Homeless Teens in Monroe

Access to higher learning is crucially important for millions of Americans. And it’s no different for homeless young people. In fact, obtaining post-secondary education can be the key to getting off the streets or out of unstable living conditions.

 

A 20-year old University of Louisiana at Monroe student we’ll call “Edward” only recently got into a stable, permanent home. He says that helped him focus on college.

 

“I got with FASFA and couple of grants and everything kicked off well in my freshman year. But in my sophomore year a close family member of mine passed away and when I dropped out of those semesters it dropped a lot of my money. And that’s when I really hit the rough patch. My sophomore year was definitely the roughest patch since I’ve been in college.”

 

“Edward” says family problems resulted in his being homeless since his junior year of high school. He says not having a permanent address made life difficult.

 

“It’s really scary. You don’t really know what’s going to happen. I didn’t for a long time know what tomorrow was going to bring, and now where I’m at I’m very grateful.”

 

 

 “Edward’s” case is not unique. The National Center for Homeless Education – a group funded by the US Department of Education – estimates there are more than 1,000,000 homeless young people in America. Depending on the state, that definition can include school-aged children up to age 21. Under the law, young people who lack a “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” are homeless.

 

As the fall university semester approaches, many of these young people are trying to enroll.

 

 

Toni Baggiano is the associate director of Trio – a federal program aimed at helping disadvantaged students. She says there is money available for homeless young people who want to go to college.

 

“Some of the resources that are available are, first and foremost, financial aid. If a child is unaccompanied, homeless or independent, the automatically qualify for the federal Pell grant, which is $5,500 a year.”

 

And Baggiano says there are also scholarships available for homeless young people entering college. 

 

“That pretty much pays for their college – often even to live on campus.”

 

Ouachita Parish supervisor, Anthony Killian, helps homeless students register for school. He says of about 200 who have come through the system this year, six have gone on to university.

 

“We’ve helped a number of students this year – very intelligent students who, through no fault of their own, have been deemed homeless. We’ve helped them get into the university – ULM, Louisiana Tech and even a couple of universities down south.”  

 

But Ella Nimmers, the executive director at Our House – a shelter for homeless young people, says getting into university can be a struggle for young people who are often more concerned with obtaining food and shelter

 

“When they first come into the program the outlook is relatively bleak. Some of them come in with less than a GED. We do have probably a little over 50 percent of young adults who come into the transitional living program who have completed their high school education and we try to assist them with getting enrolled at Delta Community College or ULM.”

 

 “Edward” has made connections with some of these organizations and availed himself of the financial resources. He’s preparing to major in area he discovered by accident. 

 

“I wasn’t even in accounting. I was just taking an accounting course and I realized I liked it. And so I just stayed with it.” 

 

And he’s looking way ahead.

 

“I plan on maybe even going to grad school and stuff like that, so I’m just seeing how it all plays out, seeing how far I can go with it.”

 

In the meantime “Edward” is aiming for a nearer-term goal. He hopes to complete his undergraduate work by 2015.