Grants help Cy–Fair ISD provide quality education
Nearly every year, Cy–Fair ISD has seen an increase in the number of enrolled homeless students as the result of a rising number of foreclosures in the area and a struggling economy, according to the district's homeless outreach department.
CFISD served more than 2,000 homeless students last year through a $203,800 annual grant from the Texas Support for Homeless Education Program, which provides qualified students breakfast and lunch, school supplies, uniforms, tutoring and graduation caps and gowns—all at no charge to the students.
A lack of affordable housing, poverty and situations of domestic violence often spur children living in homeless families, while unaccompanied youth face dangers of substance abuse and mental illness, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty.
"There isn't a primary cause [for homelessness], but I can say historically the biggest reason is the lack of affordable housing and poverty," said Barbara Duffield, policy director for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. "The numbers of homeless children climbed over 1 million in the 2010-11 school year, which is a 54 percent nationwide increase over the past four years."
