Team wants shelter for homeless teens
JANESVILLE — Thirty-five Janesville teens have nowhere to go.
Maybe their parents kicked them out. Or maybe they chose to leave.
Unlike most of the 221 homeless children in the Janesville School District, these kids are unaccompanied minors.
Homeless shelters can’t take them.
The Homeless Education Action Team held its second meeting last week to talk about the need for a shelter and services for teens in Rock County. The group tentatively plans to host a public information session from Thursday, Feb. 21, in Janesville.
This is the second year the Janesville School District has earned a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to provide services for children who qualify under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, district social worker Ann Forbeck said.
The act provides for children who live in shelters, children whose families have doubled up to afford a house or unaccompanied minors.
Last year, the district’s push was to educate teachers and the public about Janesville’s homeless children. In the 2006-07 school year, there were 312 homeless children in the district, said Forbeck, co-chairwoman of the action team.
As of Jan. 9, there had been 221 homeless children this school year, she said.
Unaccompanied minors are a little different. They are the teens whose parents have kicked them out or have moved away and left the kids behind. The teens float from couch to couch, living off the kindness of others.
As minors, they can’t check in to a local homeless shelter, said social worker Angela Lynch, who works at Jackson Elementary School and the Rock River Charter School.
“They have no recourse,” Lynch said. “Most can find someone to stay with, but we have one who was homeless for two years. That’s been her existence.”
The district is aware of 35 such students, said Forbeck, who works as a social worker at Edison Middle School and as part of the homeless education team.
There are probably more, she said.
Carol Lafferty-Winters, Janesville, has been aware of the number of homeless teens in the Janesville School District for years because her husband, Daniel Winters, has seen the problem as a custodian at Parker High School.
“He saw these kids. He recognized the problem on a personal level,” Lafferty-Winters said. “It’s been a real troubling thing for us.”
IF YOU GO
What: The Homeless Education Action Team wants to host a public information session to address the need for a shelter and services for homeless teens in Rock County.
When: 2 to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21
Where: Rock River Charter School, 31 W. Milwaukee St., Janesville
For more information: Call Ann Forbeck at (608) 751-7779
Feb 3, 2008 at 11:51 p.m.
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luvujvl. I think you're missing something in your interpretation of R1234's post. It sounds to me like he is saying before we simply label these kids as homeless and start treating the "symptom" we should be looking at the root cause and in dealing with that, the "symptoms" will then correct themselves.
"If the parents threw the children out, the parents should be held responsible for their offspring's room and board elsewhere or they should be placed in Foster care.
If the children are runaways, then they should be in the juvenile system."
Feb 3, 2008 at 11:33 p.m.
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mouse1323, Please let us know your name so we can all vote for you ! Your kindness and respect is what we need on the School Board. R1234, apparently you live a pretty good life. Your lack of understanding doesn't mean it's not a problem. Educate yourself. Have you ever been alone and without help at a young age? The fact that their parents screwed up isn't their fault. If we don't help them out as a community, the problem will just worsen. Have a heart. We need to reach out to these kids - if there is a way to help even just one troubled kid, or 35 of them, it will make a huge impact for them personally, and for our community as well. Ever heard of "random acts of kindness" ???? Here's our chance.
Feb 3, 2008 at 10:57 p.m.
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well i will be at the meeting and will do what i can as a school board member if elected on april 1st i will be a voice for all children that is my commitment e=mail me at mouse5169@aol.com if you want more info or concerns
Feb 3, 2008 at 8:04 p.m.
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I don't understand why these teens are homeless, nor do I understand why this service is needed.
If the parents threw the children out, the parents should be held responsible for their offspring's room and board elsewhere or they should be placed in Foster care.
If the children are runaways, then they should be in the juvenile system.
Feb 3, 2008 at 9:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
i agree, there has got to be somewhere for these homeless kids to go. ive have never seen a town such as this one where parents just throw their kids out. some kids take off and the parents cant control them and their is alot of it in janesville. these kids need help, these our your children no matter what they do you are to help them, and believe me im talking from great experience, my two youngest children 17 and 15 must hold the record for getting into trouble. but to throw your child out because you just dont care anymore, and try to pond them off on their freinds parents,(sad)remember these are your children, not and old bag of rags you dont want anymore.
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