Students Ready for Homeless Vigil

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

— A group of high school students are tuned into weather forecasts this week as they prepare to sleep outside Thursday in cardboard boxes.

At A Glance

How to Help

Residents are encouraged to stop by the high school Thursday night and Friday morning and donate money or nonperishable food items. Also, pledges can be made by emailing Vance Arnold at vance.arnold@fayar.….

Source: Staff Report

The members of the Student Council, will build a city of cardboard on the north side of the school along Bulldog Boulevard, formerly Stone Street.

This will be the 15th annual Homeless Vigil to raise awareness about homeless students, said Vance Arnold, the Student Council adviser.

The council hopes to raise $10,000 to help homeless students with living expenses, said Davis Trice, council president.

The forecast calls for the temperature to be in the mid-40s Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.

In the vigil’s history, students have raised about $100,000 for the School District’s homeless program.

Min Kim, a senior who headed up the council’s food drive, said she plans to dress in thick clothes and have a warm sleeping bag.

The only heat the students will have is a fire in a 55-gallon drum.

The vigil begins at 5 p.m.

Marian Riner, the district’s Families in Transition coordinator, said the number of homeless students in the district has increased 89 percent in the past six years, from 160 students in 2006 to 302 students last school year.

She is working with more than 160 students and their families so far this year. Her job is to secure housing for families living in cars or motels or staying with relatives.

The program follows the McKinney-Vento homeless federal law. Students qualify for free meals and the district must provide transportation if the student wants to remain in the school he attended before becoming homeless. The family also has access to the district’s food pantry and clothing closet, Riner said.

A breakdown of the costs spent on each family wasn’t readily available but Riner said the services cost several hundred dollars per family and the amount available comes from donations.