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Date: 11/2/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Local schools are serving more and more homeless students, said the district’s homeless liaison, Jaclyn Willemain.
The exact number of homeless students changes daily, she said. As of Oct. 12, there were 149 homeless students in the district, which she said is a 200% increase since she began working for the district.
“That’s 149 students, but think of the families they’re attached to and the needs of each family,” she said.
Willemain also works with the school district’s children in foster care. For example, she said coordinators can contact her to ensure that the schools waive fees and provide transportation for after-school activities. She also helps homeless families find affordable housing or get access to the state shelter system.
“I just ensure that all of the students have access to the same programs,” she said.
Willemain said that the number has been increasing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it especially began to rise mid-year in 2022. She attributes this rise to several factors: cost of living increases, especially of housing; an influx of refugees in all Massachusetts cities and a lack of available shelter space.
“Unfortunately, there’s nowhere for them to go,” she said.
The lack of shelter space has gained statewide attention recently. At an Oct. 16 press conference, Gov. Maura Healey announced the state would run out of emergency shelter space this month. Massachusetts is a right-to-shelter state, which means the government is legally obligated to find a home for those who need one.
Willemain said that the shelters are already at capacity in West Springfield. Most families she works with live in hotels like the Clarion. Hotels, she said, do not count as “fixed, permanent, adequate housing,” meaning its residents count as homeless under the federal McKinney Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. They are intended for short-term use, a place for families to wait until space is available in shelters or until they find a home.
Some of the homeless families are newly arrived refugees or migrants; some refugees, though not all, are homeless. There are 365 refugees attending West Springfield public schools, according to Sharlene DeSteph, the district’s director of English language learner programs. That represents less than 1% of the total number of students enrolled, 4,093.
Refugees come from multiple countries but the majority are from Haiti, she said. They tend to travel through multiple countries first. Massachusetts is an attractive destination because it is a right-to-shelter state, but “I think many are just trying to settle anywhere they’re safe and allowed,” she said.
Refugees tend to come into West Springfield through Boston, their first point of contact being a hospital. Refugee families are placed in shelters by the state Department of Housing and Community Development or by charities. Willemain noted they can be placed anywhere in the state, with refugees in the area also living in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee and South Hadley.
Homeless students often need help with basic needs such as clothing, food and transportation. Homeless refugees need extra services on top of this. Many need English learner classes. Those who escaped war or fled through multiple countries need counseling for trauma. They tend to require more academic support than students who had access to the American education system before becoming homeless.
West Springfield schools work with local agencies, such as religious groups, charities, and the Center for Human Development in Springfield, to provide services to refugees. The district has English language learner staff that help children get a footing in the education system. Students can also be referred to trauma-informed counseling.
On Oct. 3, state Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) and the Healey administration announced that a Homeless Emergency Support Target Grant of $75,000 would go to West Springfield schools to help with administrative costs of programs for the town’s homeless students.
The district has yet to determine how that money will be spent. Willemain said that grant money tends to go to transportation, “one of the biggest barriers” for homeless students. The district contracts with organizations like the PVTA and Lyft to provide this.
Money also goes toward yearbooks, school events like field trips, school supplies, supermarket gift cards and other means of getting students food and clothing.
“You’d be surprised how quick it goes, but thankfully there are a lot of other grants out there,” Willemain said.
Willemain said that homeless students are unable to learn if they don’t have their basic needs met.
“If a kiddo is sleeping on a hotel floor, and didn’t eat or shower, they wouldn’t be able to focus,” she said.
As well, having homeless students in the classroom could change its dynamic. It can be hard for teachers, though Willemain acknowledged they are very empathetic. It can also be hard for other students if a classmate doesn’t speak English, though she said they tend to adjust well.
Asked why it’s important to help homeless students, Willemain said, “because they’re humans and you’d be surprised how easy it is to be in that situation.” She said many families she works with never think they’d reach that point. “The way the world is today, it’s sad that more families than not end up in this situation and you might never know when you might need that help. … The children certainly didn’t ask for that situation and they deserve everything their peers get,” she said.
Willemain said West Springfield residents can think about how they might help their neighbors. She noted that people carelessly toss out food and clothing.
“If more people cared rather than turned a blind eye, then we’d be surprised how many lives we’d be able to change and help,” she said.
People who want to help can donate clothing, shoes, and canned goods to Willemain’s office at 11 Central St., West Springfield. Clothing for cooler temperatures helps, as many families come from warmer countries. Books and games are also welcome, as Christmas is coming soon. She also said more funding for the education system would help.
“We’re getting an influx of students, but the funding stays the same,” she said.
Willemain said having empathy and compassion would go a long way. Many immigrant and homeless family members work day and night, multiple jobs. She said she hears the word “homeless” used negatively and believes education on the homeless and refugee populations would help.
“A lot of people don’t understand that these are an amazing resilient population that come here very eager to learn and work and be contributing members of society,” she said.