The DOE employs over 100 shelter-based household assistants to assist households getting into the shelter system.
AP/Brittainy Newman
The New York Metropolis Council is looking on the Division of Training to rent 150 staffers to work in homeless shelters and assist college students dwelling in them get to high school.
“Whereas the Metropolis should deal with the housing disaster in order that no little one turns into homeless, it additionally has a right away duty to make sure that college students already dwelling in shelter can get to high school day by day and have the help wanted to succeed and graduate,” Council Member Rita Joseph wrote in a Tuesday letter addressed to Faculties Chancellor David Banks and obtained by The Publish.
Joseph, who heads the Metropolis Council Committee on Training, was amongst greater than 20 council members who signed onto the letter.
The push for DOE staffers in homeless shelters comes after 30 organizations despatched a memo to the Adams administration final week, forward of a deadline to submit plans to the state for $33 million in federal funds earmarked for homeless college students by the top of Could.
Greater than 100,000 public faculty college students have been homeless final faculty 12 months — together with a 3rd that lived in New York Metropolis shelters.
Greater than half of scholars dwelling in shelters miss a minimum of one out of each 10 faculty days, in line with knowledge cited by Advocates for Youngsters.
Council members and advocates stated the requested staffers can work to determine why a baby could also be absent from faculty, and deal with the issue in actual time.
“If the bus isn’t coming, the workers may work with the DOE’s Workplace of Pupil Transportation to resolve the issue,” the advocates wrote within the memo to Metropolis Corridor.
“If the kid doesn’t have clear clothes to put on to high school, the workers may join the household to laundry companies; if the dad or mum is unable to get a baby to the bus due to competing job and childcare obligations, the workers may assist determine a plan.”
Training officers reported that the DOE employs 117 shelter-based household assistants, who assist households getting into the shelter system with enrollment, transportation and attendance.
However council members stated shelters “don't presently have ample workers targeted on schooling,” citing low retention charges amongst staffers who usually are paid $28,000 and don't work summers.
The DOE dedicated in February to including 50 neighborhood coordinators in shelters, however advocates stated they have been nonetheless ready for these job descriptions to be posted.
“We want to see the DOE start hiring instantly,” stated Randi Levine of Advocates for Youngsters.
Division officers didn't return a request for touch upon the standing of that hiring course of.
Post a Comment