Lynn program gives shelter, services to homeless youth

LYNN - Education experts say getting good grades in school often depends on whether the student has a stable home life. Such thinking stems from an analysis of scores on state MCAS tests, which indicate youth who find themselves homeless tend to perform worse.

To address the problem, officials from the School Department are partnering with the Lynn Housing Authority to create a safety net that includes food, shelter, tutoring and counseling services for so-called “unaccompanied youth,” a euphemism for homeless teens between the ages of 16 and 18.

A report released last week by the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, which listed failure rates for 10th grade students taking the MCAS test, showed Lynn and Worcester with the most number of unaccompanied or homeless youth. Lynn has 120 such students and Worcester 124, compared to Fall River with 2 and Lowell with 7.

But the relatively high number in Lynn was actually a “badge of honor,” according to Robyn Frost, the homeless coalition executive director, who explained that communities similar in complexion are likely to have average numbers, but only if these students have been identified.

“Certainly the numbers are alarming, but in a way they are a badge of honor. A lot of communities have these students but they just aren’t being identified, and that’s because they don’t have a program like Lynn does,” Frost said. “In many communities, the problem of homeless youth isn’t being looked at.”

Frost said many of these students are “couch surfers” who live for a few days at a friend’s apartment or with a friend’s family before moving on to the next. Some pay for single rooms.

“We’re lining up the landlords now and we hope to have our first student placed in about three weeks,” Newhall said. “Instead of staying on a friend’s couch or doubling up with another family, they can feel safe in their own apartment, concentrate on school, and then go on to work full time or maybe go to college. They won’t be worrying about where they’re going to get their next meal.”

Program services also involve getting the student access to food stamps and to local food pantries that can provide groceries.

Since Lynn receives funding from the state Department of Education, including funds to address the issue of unaccompanied youth, the city must report MCAS failure rates for students identified as homeless.

In Lynn, 69 students in 10th grade, identified as homeless, took the MCAS math test. Twenty-one percent failed, versus a 16-percent failure rate among all Lynn 10th graders who took the same test.

“The un-housed students generally have a greater failure rate on MCAS,” Frost said. “The goal is to give them a chance by providing a stable living environment. Lynn should be praised for its innovativeness.”

According to Newhall, once the student is housed, program staffers follow up with an action plan. “We will make sure the student has access to MassHealth, to counseling if they need it, and to a financial fitness class,” she said, the latter referring to basic banking and saving strategies.

Students are also taught daily living skills like how to do laundry.

“All the teens will get tutors if needed and help filling out college or scholarship applications,” Newhall said. “There’s even a piece that offers job opportunities in which the students get paid a stipend working at non-profit organizations across the city.”

Janet Birchenough, director of the School Department’s Parent Information Center, explained that identifying homeless students has been a priority in Lynn for more than five years. “The numbers are definitely going up,” she said. “The collaboration with the Housing Authority is new because they received a grant to find apartments for a select number of students in their senior year of high school. Right now we’re identifying those students who would be more successful in their own setting.”

Birchenough stressed that the collaboration is new, a pilot program that hopefully can be expanded.

“Some of these kids are living couch to couch, friend to friend. Some are sleeping in cars with their whole families. Others are living two or more families in the same apartment, so the situation is very difficult,” she said. “We try to get these people a place through the Department of Transitional Assistance.”

According to Birchenough, the homeless students in Lynn hail from a wide range of family backgrounds and ethnic groups.

“These kids come from across the board,” she said. “In some cases, the family was burned out of its home, or the family moved from one city to another and hasn’t been able to find a place to live. We’ve seen homelessness caused by eviction, job loss. These aren’t conditions people look forward to and it’s a very difficult time in their lives. We’re here to assist as much as we can.”

Since students must register for school, the School Department is the organization best able to identify the homeless. Maryellen Conley is the department’s liaison for homeless students, a position required by the state Department of Education for each school district. Those identified remain anonymous while receiving services.

“The schools have the best rapport with the students, so that’s the best place to identify the ones that need help,” Frost said.

Local Weather