Overview
March 05, 2007
The Stewart B. McKinney Grant that has been awarded to the
Scottsbluff Public Schools for the past ten years has made a big
difference in the lives of many Panhandle students.
These students share a common temporary definition of ‘homeless’
during the time they are residents of the Panhandle Youth Shelter
and Domestic Violence Shelter – shelters that provide a home for
youth from the eleven Panhandle counties and occasionally other
youth from across Nebraska and out-of-state.
The broad goal of the program is to provide an educational program
and educational support to homeless youth in this area. These youth
need to maintain involvement and contact with education and the
Public School System to continue to “fit in” and establish a
pattern of learning to be successful. Shelter youth need extra
support and help to maintain an interest in school and to be able
to succeed, because of the social and emotional problems associated
with homelessness. Over the past ten years, evaluations have
pointed out that the stability of an educational program and a
connection to school helps overcome the trauma faced by youths. The
part-time position of teacher/counselor at the shelter, provided by
the McKinney Grant, allows the students to have one area,
education, remain stable in their lives, while they overcome the
trauma of a runaway/homeless status.
