The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
WISD program making a difference
By Terry Jacoby, Heritage Newspapers
PUBLISHED: February 21, 2008
Peri Stone-Palmquist doesn't have a job. She has a mission.
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A job is where you go to work, do what's expected and go home. A mission is where you go to work, help change people's lives and go home knowing you made a difference.
As the coordinator for the Education Project for Homeless Youth (EPHY), a program run by the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, Stone-Palmquist can see the results of her work each and every day.
"With all that EPHY has done for me, I'm really thankful," says a 20-year-old student who EPHY is helping earn a diploma, "but even more than that, they genuinely care for people."
What a way to spend eight hours, five days a week.
"I work directly with families and unaccompanied youth who are homeless, assessing their needs and connecting them with resources," said Stone-Palmquist, who also conducts outreach and support for students who have dropped out of school and provides training to area schools and community agencies on the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Even with all that, her work is not done.
"I write grants and do some fund-raising to help support the direct needs of students who are homeless," she said. "I participate in community collaboratives such as the Washtenaw Housing Alliance and Barrier Busters. I also assess systemic needs of this population and advocate for solutions."
The Education Project is a predominately grant-funded project of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District that works to ensure students who are homeless or in foster care in our county enroll, attend and succeed in school.
"We advocate that students' rights under federal law are protected, coordinate district-funded school transportation, pay for emergency school transportation, provide school supplies and referrals, fund education-related expenses and provide general support," Stone-Palmquist said.
The project, which started in the early 1990s in an attempt to respond to the needs of homeless students in the county, is funded primarily through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the Washtenaw Workforce Development Board. They also have received support through the Ann Arbor Jaycees Foundation, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, Meijer and a few small private donations. And United Bank and Trust has been a valuable partner in securing school supplies for the students.
As the coordinator, Stone-Palmquist works part-time and also has a part-time family advocate.
"We both work under a contracted services agreement with the ISD, which provides more than $12,000 of in-kind support (administrative guidance, tech support and office space)," she said. "We also have a fabulous intern from The U-M School of Social Work."
EPHY works as a safety net for those students who otherwise wouldn't be getting an education."Within a single year, 97 percent of homeless children move, many up to three times, setting them back academically four-six months with each move," she said. "It's no surprise, then, that an estimated 75 percent of runaway and homeless youth dropped out or will drop out, while one-in-five homeless school-age children repeats a grade, twice the national rate for all children.
"Similarly, children in foster care are more likely to drop out of high school, score lower on standardized tests, perform below grade level, repeat grades, enroll in special education, fail classes, and be suspended or expelled due to behavioral issues than their peers not in foster care."
Last year, EPHY served 375 students. That number is expected to reach more than 400 this year because of both the economy and continuing awareness of eligibility criteria. So far this year, more than 225 students have enrolled in the program.
Staff from schools, shelters and community agencies identify a student's eligibility, have them fill out a referral and fax the referral to the WISD. Officials then contact the family within 24 hours of receiving the referral, assess the needs and respond to those needs.
Each school district and public school academy must, by federal law, have a person designated as the homeless liaison. Stone-Palmquist helps collaborate with that person to meet federal obligations and support families.
EPHY has been hugely successful, something that gives Stone-Palmquist great pride and satisfaction.
"We are seeing increased awareness levels around the county and increased understanding of these students' rights," she said. "This translates into more school stability and support for these at-risk students. I'm particularly excited to see several students who had dropped out of school reconnect to school and work towards a diploma or GED."
Funding is the biggest challenge.
"Our grant has been cut more than 50 percent since the 2004-2005 school year due to statewide cuts, reducing our staffing levels," she said. "It is overwhelming to respond to the complexity of needs and the sheer number of students with reduced staffing. A more systemic challenge is figuring out how to improve achievement levels of students facing so much instability in their home lives."
There are ways for people to help. And Stone-Palmquist would welcome the support from the community.
"We're always looking for donations of backpacks, notebooks, folders, books of fiction, mittens/gloves and hats, and Meijer or Target gift cards," she said. "And we encourage people to donate their time to the agencies with whom we work most closely, including 826michigan, SOS Community Services, Ozone House and Alpha House."
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