Homeless & Housing Unstable Students.
Best Practices for School Reentry.
The Lea County Schools Crisis Fund exists to ensure that no student is held back by hardship. Through community partnership and rapid-response support, we provide emergency assistance to meet immediate needs so students can stay safe, stay in school, and stay on track to succeed.
In Lea County, Homeless Children and Youth
In Lea County, some children and youth do not have a fixed, regular, or adequate place to sleep at night. These students may still attend our schools, participate in activities, and be part of our community, but their housing situation is unstable.
United Way of Lea County works with schools, partners, and community resources to help identify and support these families.
Children and youth may be considered homeless if they lack a stable, safe, and consistent nighttime residence.
This can include students who are:
-
Temporarily Staying with Others
Sharing housing with relatives or friends due to:
Loss of housing
Financial hardship
Family crisis
-
Living in Temporary Locations
Such as:
Motels or hotels
Trailer parks
Campgrounds
Emergency shelters
Transitional housing
-
Living in Places Not Meant for Housing
Including:
Cars
Parks
Public spaces
Abandoned buildings
Bus or train stations
-
Migratory Children
Children whose families move frequently and who are living in one of the situations above.
Children experiencing housing instability often face additional barriers such as:
Interrupted education
Lack of school supplies or transportation
Food insecurity
Emotional stress and trauma
By working together as a community, we can help ensure these students remain connected to education, stability, and opportunity.
United Way of Lea County works alongside schools, nonprofits, and community partners to:
Connect families to local resources
Provide basic needs support
Support school stability
Coordinate with 211 for assistance referrals
If you or someone you know needs help, dial 211 to connect with local resources.
These obligations extend towards:
Students in unstable living situations (doubled up with other people, couch surfing, in motels, homeless shelters); inadequately housed students (those without utilities or in substandard housing); and unaccompanied youth.
Lea County Issues
Most of the students in Lea County experiencing homelessness are living “doubled-up”. That means they have moved in with other families. Currently, there aren’t any homeless shelters in Lea County. Some students experiencing homelessness may be served by organizations in other cities, but students prefer to stay in their hometown and sleep on couches of friends, neighbors or family members.
With the help of from United Way of Lea County and in partnership with the Hobbs Municipal Schools, identification of students experiencing homelessness within our communities has increased and more children experiencing homelessness are getting the supports they need to succeed in school. This utilization of funding also supports long term sustaining of the program and assurance that training and this service to students continues.
Identifying students struggling with housing insecurities.
Where do you sleep at night?
Please review places you have slept over the past year.
- Staying temporarily with friends, relatives or other people (“couch-surfing”)
WITH a parent - Staying temporarily with friends, relatives or other people (“couch-surfing”)
NOT with a parent - At a shelter, WITH a parent
At a shelter, NOT with a parent - In transitional housing or an independent living program, WITH a parent
- In transitional housing or an independent living program, NOT with a parent
- At a motel or in a camper or 5th wheel, WITH a parent
- At a motel or in a camper or 5th wheel, NOT with a parent
- In a car, tent, park, bus or train station, abandoned building, shed, chicken coop, or other public place, WITH a parent
- In a car, tent, park, bus or train station, abandoned building, shed, chicken coop, or other public place, NOT with a parent
- At my home, in my bed