By Dr. Ferrell Miller
JC Breakfast Optimist Club Secretary / Programs Chairperson
On April 17 in the Jim Clark’s Chevrolet showroom, JC Breakfast Optimist Club members learned about the McKinney/Vento Act and how it is being delivered to help homeless children and their families in Geary County. Windy Hancock, McKinney/Vento Coordinator in USD 475, was the guest speaker.
Windy told the Optimist’s she is currently working with 260 students and their families who qualify for services. The McKinney/Vento Act was originally approved by Congress in 1987. It defines homeless children as “individuals who lack fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; share housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing; live in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations; live in emergency or transitional shelters; whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. Park benches, etc.); children living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations.” The act also “ensures homeless children have transportation to and from school free of charge and allows children to attend their school of origin (last school attended enrolled or the school they attended when they first became homeless) regardless of what district the family resides in. It further requires schools to register homeless children even if they lack normally required documents, such as immunization records or proof of residence. School districts must appoint a Local Education Liaison or Coordinator to ensure that homeless children’s needs are met.”
Windy also told club members that during the two years she has been in her position she has seen children and families in some desperate situations. Examples she gave are witnessing “poor living conditions with six children in a hotel room with no kitchen; windows on a trailer that have been boarded up and entrance doors to the trailer, which are falling off. Sometimes families get behind in their bills for a variety of reasons. There was one case where the electricity and water bill total $8,000. It is my responsibility to find resources to help pay bills and find other resources to teach parents how to manage their finances to pay for their rent, food, and other bills in a timely manner.”
Money is needed to help families with school-aged children so the child can perhaps better focus on learning and less on the needs at home as well as people to teach finance management, cooking, and cleaning skills. Windy Hancock’s contact information for more information is 785-717-4581 work or cell at 785-210-4491.