Comments on: Homeless in Decatur

By: Andrea Berry

Andrea Berry — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:09:13 +0000

Thanks so much, karass, for your feedback on our piece. We wanted to tell the stories from the point of view of those living it rather than lots of facts and figures. You and etudiante are absolutely right about what the federal McKinney-Vento Act requires the school district to do for homeless families. Joan and Karen at CSD work very hard to make sure that homeless students’ experiences in CSD is a seamless one as they access services.

By: karass

karass — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:57:46 +0000

I agree that CSD is not heroic for doing what the law requires it to do but I do think that they do it in a way that is respectful of the students and their families. I don’t think that most families in CSD are even aware that there’s as many as 150 homeless kids per year in the schools. And I thought the Decatur EdTV piece was beautifully done by interviewing two mothers who have been homeless in CSD and want to talk about it so others will understand. I would not have enjoyed the piece if it was just an interview of top CSD officials talking about what a wonderful job they do for the populace.

By: etudiante

etudiante — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:53:34 +0000

I don’t mean to say that DPS isn’t doing a fine job accommodating the homeless families in our neighborhoods, but I do just want to point out that a federal law requires them to do most, if not all, of the things they are doing: provide transportation, enroll students in a school, etc. The McKinney-Vento Act is a conditional spending law applicable to states in exchange for federal funds to carry out these obligations.

By: Decatur Metro

Decatur Metro — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:23:05 +0000

Thanks Andrea. I was hoping you would be able to help us out with this question!

By: Andrea Berry

Andrea Berry — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:33:55 +0000

The best way to find out what transportion services CSD provides for homeless families is to contact Joan Fisher or Karen Koonce at the CSD District office: 404.370.4400. They can give you all the details as they work on this on a daily basis.