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TCAPS News/Events
All TCAPS' press releases are posted on this Web site on a regular basis. The most current press releases can be viewed below by clicking on the heading of the release you wish to view. To view past press releases, please select a month from the archives on the right. For more information on other events happening throughout the district, visit our Calendar page.
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Location: Blogs TCAPS' Press Releases |
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| Posted by: - TCAPS |
10/27/2009 |
In 2008-2009, Traverse City Area Public Schools’ Students in Transition Empowerment Program (STEP) identified over 500 TCAPS students in grades PreK-12 who qualified as “in residential transition” under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. In the first six weeks of the current school year, STEP has served over 200 eligible students throughout the district’s elementary, middle, and high schools.
STEP is a free program offered by Traverse City Area Public Schools that provides supportive education-related services to eligible students who have lost permanent housing due to foreclosure, eviction, or reasons related to economic hardship. The goal of the program is to ensure school stability, remove barriers to full participation in their education, and support academic achievement while children are in residential transition.
Any student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate overnight residence is eligible. Students may be found living in the following situations:
- In a shelter, motel, vehicle, or campground
- Temporarily sharing the housing of friends or family (“doubled-up”)
- Unaccompanied youth living on their own, without a parent or guardian
- Inadequate/substandard accommodations, abandoned buildings, or on the street
- Students who are couch surfing, living temporarily with friends
- Foster care, less than six months in same placement
Some common signs that a student may be experiencing homelessness are:
- Irregular attendance
- History of attending different schools
- Poor health/nutrition
- Inadequate seasonal clothing
- Poor hygiene
- Not ready for class
- High anxiety, depression, fatigue
In Michigan, adults and children in families account for 52% of the total homeless population. This number may be under reported and not include families who are doubled up or living with friends and relatives due to economic hardship.
Please contact STEP Coordinator Joan Abbott at abbottjo@tcaps.net or (231) 933-8991, or visit TCAPS’ Web site at: www.tcaps.net/step for more information. |
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