It’s back-to-school time! This family’s story demonstrates the importance of stable housing for children to learn and thrive in school.
Last spring, “Debbie” got a phone call from her daughter’s elementary school teacher – usually something to worry about. But this time the teacher called to tell Debbie that her daughter was doing well in school and had recently done better than expected on a test.
Debbie was in tears when she recounted this story to her volunteer mentors. With no family support and no money in the bank, Debbie and her children had to move several times in the past two years into different temporary housing. Because Debbie always had to work, she cobbled together a piecemeal, unreliable babysitting situation for Zoom school during the pandemic. During this rocky time, her daughter had fallen behind in school and lost all enthusiasm for learning.
Fortunately, Debbie applied to participate in FamilyForward’s two-year program last year. Now that the family has been in their new apartment for almost a year, and school has been in-person every day, Debbie’s daughter is catching up and making great academic progress. Her daughter has friends in her class and looks forward to going to school every day. Debbie knows firsthand how much stable housing contributes to a child’s well-being, and she is grateful for the assistance of FamilyForward.
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