Toothbrushes. Pillows. Food. For Colfax-Mingo Community School District’s Stephanie Ver Helst, these items are more than just goods on her inventory list. They are valuable supplies in the school’s newly created resource hub that supports students and their families who are facing homelessness.
Ver Helst, who serves as the school liaison for foster care, homeless and migratory education, has seen the need arise for basic personal supplies for students in their school and local communities and understands the impact a resource hub can have for them.
“In our local community, which is rural, it can be hard to obtain resources and assistance,” she said. “Having a resource hub located in our school helps our student population. It provides support where it’s needed and removes barriers to attendance and learning.”
Twenty-one school districts, including Colfax-Mingo, have recently established resource hubs through the Iowa Department of Education’s Resource Hub and Transportation Grants for Students Experiencing Homelessness. Districts with identified students who are homeless or displaced during the 2022-23 school year were eligible to apply for up to $10,000 to set up a resource hub on their school campus. Additionally, nine school districts applied to receive up to $30,000 to provide transportation assistance for students.
“Connecting to critical resources through school resource hubs and transportation assistance can help address challenges that prevent students from attending school regularly,” said Tyler Navin, homeless education program consultant at the Department. “Through our total grant award of $424,000, more Iowa school districts are set up to serve and assist students and their families who are facing homelessness.”
The resource hubs funded by the Department’s recent grant can include a variety of personal and household items, such as food, clothing, personal hygiene supplies, baby items, water bottles, tents and bedding, among others. Resource hubs can also supply access to showers and a laundry facility at the school.
“The grant helped us purchase a washer and dryer as well as shelving units for supplies,” Ver Helst said. “We really tried to think of what a student at any age would need. We have everything from baby food to air mattresses to even prom dresses and shoes.”
Colfax-Mingo’s resource hub has already been helpful, too, with Ver Helst reporting that four families accessed supplies last month. To use the resource hub, school counselors and teachers identify students who need assistance, which can also be a starting point for connecting their families to other services.
“When we reach out to students and families who are experiencing homelessness and need assistance, we connect them to other agencies and programs that can help with things like utilities or housing, too,” Ver Helst said. “We want to make it broader than just using the resource hub. We truly want to make a difference.”
At Ottumwa Community School District, their resource hub has also seen a lot of traffic in the past few months, and from last year’s data they anticipate even more use throughout the school year. In 2023-24, they identified close to 290 students facing homelessness.
“The resource hub gives us another opportunity to serve our vulnerable populations in Ottumwa,” said Megan Logan, at-risk, family services coordinator at Ottumwa Community School District. “We can take on the focus of finding resources for our students and families, so they can focus on another issue or need in their lives. It’s just one way we can support students and families experiencing homelessness in the best way possible.”
Similar to Colfax-Mingo, Ottumwa’s resource hub contains a clothing closet, access to a washer and dryer, personal hygiene supplies and more. They have partnered with the Food Bank of Iowa to provide a food pantry with both shelf stable items and frozen and refrigerated foods for families to access. Additionally, tents, sleeping bags and pillows are also in-stock in Ottumwa’s resource hub.
“We have some families who use tents to camp at night, so sleeping bags, blankets and pillows are necessary items,” Logan said. “Students and families have been very thankful for what we are able to provide.”
Ottumwa’s resource hub is located at Gateway High School, their innovative, nontraditional high school setting that serves 250 students. Although the resource hub is open to students across the district, its location at Gateway helps target students who may be the most affected. Many of the students at Gateway also work shifts before or after school to help support their families, and some of these students may also experience homelessness or displacement during the year.
“We know that many of these kids are working to help support their families,” Logan said. “They may have special living circumstances and need clean clothes, food or supplies. We can provide that for them so they can make the most of their time while at school.”
Both Ottumwa and Colfax-Mingo schools are looking into sustainability of the resource hubs for future years, whether through community partnerships or individual donations, as they have been beneficial for their students and communities.
“We want to be able to continue serving the students in our district who are facing homelessness or are in a tough spot,” Logan said. “Being able to support these families is impactful for our community.”
The Resource Hub and Transportation Grants for Students Experiencing Homelessness were funded through the Department’s portion of the American Rescue Plan – Homeless Children and Youth, which supports the specific needs of homeless children and youth in attending school and fully participating in school activities.
For more information on homeless education resources, visit the Department’s website or contact Tyler Navin at tyler.navin@iowa.gov.