Posts | Firesteel

Policy Matters: One in 33 Students is Homeless — At Least, That’s How Many Have Been Identified

Stephanie Heffner (left) interviewed Dinah Ladd about her job identifying and helping homeless students. Dinah is one of only two homeless education liaisons serving more than 2,100 homeless students in Seattle Public Schools. Image credit: StoryCorps

How can you tell a student is experiencing homelessness? There are a number of often-subtle clues, explains Dinah Ladd in the newest interview to come out of the StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" project.

Policy Matters: Closing the Education Gap for Homeless Students

Guest blogger Laurel Kirbawy-Grenfell testifies in favor of the Homeless Student Stability Act before a Senate committee. Laurel writes that the act would help ensure that homeless students's basic needs are met. Image credit: TVW

Guest blogger Laurel Kirbawy-Grenfell's job is to partner with school districts to make sure children, including homeless students, are getting the services they need. She explains how the Homeless Student Stability Act would help children across the state achieve their academic potential, and shares what you can do to support this important policy.

Social Media 101: Using Twitter and Facebook for Advocacy

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It’s become a tradition: Each year, in the lead-up to Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day, we co-present an online workshop on social media for social change with Joaquin Uy of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. In the three years we’ve done these training Hangouts, one fact has remained constant: Social media is all about relationships and community.

A Formerly Homeless Veteran Reflects on Volunteering in the One Night Count

Volunteers look for people sleeping outdoors during an annual Point in Time Count. Photo credit: Todd Bookman for <a href="http://nhpr.org/post/one-day-count-finds-nhs-homeless-population-down-14-percent" target="_blank">NHPR</a>. — Volunteers look for people sleeping outdoors during an annual Point in Time Count. Photo credit: Todd Bookman for NHPR.

Participating in the One Night Count can be an emotional experience for anyone, but it was especially poignant for first-time volunteer Thomas Green because he once experienced homelessness. In a new video, Thomas shares what it was like for him to walk outdoors and count people who were without shelter.

Introducing the New StoryCorps Section of Our Website!

Alexis Gaines and her case manager Tanya Mendenhall Mettlen participated in the StoryCorps "Finding Our Way" project. In a new audio story produced from their interview, Alexis talks about how she tried to create positive memories for her son, even as they experienced homelessness together. Image credit: StoryCorps

Our new StoryCorps page currently features five short audio stories that help listeners understand how homelessness affects families in our community, and we'll continue adding stories over coming months.

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