Schools
Report: 23 Homeless Students Attend Berkley School District
About 1 of every 50 youngsters enrolled in Michigan public schools has nowhere to call home, according to a series in the Detroit Free Press.
While many Metro Detroit children are home on winter break for the holidays, enjoying family meals and gifts, others are less fortunate: Approximately 2 percent of students in Michigan public schools are homeless, according to one report.
In the , 23 students out of 4,731 "were either living with family or friends, living in a shelter, hotel/motel, or were unsheltered, sleeping on the streets or in a car," according to the first in a four-part series called Michigan's homeless students that launched Sunday in the Detroit Free Press.
The district's 0.49 percent homeless rate is below the overall rate of approximately 2 percent in the state, as reported by the Free Press.
Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
BSD Communications Supervisor Shira Good did not have access to statistics that could independently confirm those figures Monday because the district is shut down for winter break. But, she said, the district is aware of its homeless population.
"We have supports in place for all of our students with financial need, such as our free and reduced meal programs," Good wrote in a text message to Berkley Patch. "We also have free preschool for families with qualifying income levels."
Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
If you would like to learn more about ways to help Metro Detroit children in need this holiday season, explore Berkley Patch's 30 Days of Giving series. Please leave a comment if you know of other ways to help students whose families are struggling.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.