Though schools are closed for the remainder of the academic year, Dallas ISD’s Homeless Education Program (HEP) continues its mission to support housing insecure students and their families by helping them stay connected to available resources, services and programs.
“During the current crisis, HEP supports these students in various ways,” said Ashley Marshall, homeless education program manager for Dallas ISD. “From providing basic school supplies and hygiene items, to drop-in centers at the high schools, we continuously strive to reach our families and help ensure our students’ academic success.”
Through HEP the district’s housing insecure population can access school supplies, purchase uniforms, hygiene items, transportation, referrals to outside programs, and items to meet other specific needs.
Over the last few weeks since the districtwide closure, in a collaboration with Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services and Student Transportation Services, HEP began a program to deliver mobile meals for our housing insecure students and families who are unable to access designated grab-and-go meal sites closer to their living sites.
“This has been of great assistance for many of the families receiving those meals,” added Marshall. “The phrase I’ve heard the most when going out to the meal delivery sites is ‘Thank for you remembering us.’”
As this pandemic has impacted our workforce nationwide, there’s been a sharp increase of homelessness as a result. Dallas ISD encourages families who may be housing insecure to connect with them about resources they can receive by calling (972) 749-5750, or sending an email homelesseducation@dallasisd.org.
