Helping Homeless Children in Meriden

For the past four years, the Meriden Public Schools District has witnessed a nearly 300 percent increase in the number of homeless students. The homeless pupil population climbed from 47 in 2008-09 to a record 136 in 2011-12.

“It’s the economy,” said Janice Ricciardi, who keeps track of the numbers for the school system. “Last year was our biggest year so far.”

Students aren’t the only homeless youth in the city. Project R.E.A.C.H. helps runaways and at-risk youth ages 13 to 21 throughout Middlesex County and bordering towns. Over the past year, the program has made about 800 contacts with homeless youth living on the streets in the Meriden, Wallingford and Middletown area, according to Mary J. Bage, CEO of the (WFC) in Meriden that runs the program.

“I think that people often don’t think of homelessness as a problem where we live,” Bage said.

But it is. And many of those living with the problem are children.

Fortunately, for those young people who are willing to accept it, there is help.

Help for Homeless Students

For Meriden’s burgeoning population of homeless students, the school system offers tutoring, transportation and free meals.

Thanks to a McKinney-Vento grant from state Department of Education, the schools have been able to provide in-school tutoring and an after-school homework assistance program for these students. The school district recently applied for a $25,000 renewal of the grant to continue the program.

In addition, by law, municipalities must transport homeless students to their previous schools if they are forced to move because they lose their homes. Some Meriden students are bussed across the district; some to different towns.

Meriden public schools also supply free breakfast and lunch to homeless students, Ricciardi said.

“I have to say, Meriden does a really good job helping homeless students,” said Sharlene Kerelejza, executive director of Meriden-Wallingford Chrysalis, an agency dedicated to providing shelter and assistance for victims of domestic violence and their children.

Kerelejza said the school system makes it easy for homeless children to enroll. Of the homeless children in the Meriden schools last year, about 30 were living in shelters, about 90 were living with another family, and about 10 were living in hotels or motels, according to the McKinney-Vento grant proposal.

“The schools are really good about not shaming the kids,” Kerelejza said. While providing services, they are careful not to reveal that the students are homeless, she added.

Helping Kids on the Streets

Meriden’s Women and Families Center helps homeless youth, too, but its clientele is a little different. Its street outreach workers spend their days searching abandoned buildings, parks, train stations, construction sites and other locations for young people living on the streets. They travel the area, stopping in each town for a few days at a time.

Many of the youth they encounter have run away because of misunderstandings with parents, problems in the home, chafing at household rules, and a host of other reasons, Program Coordinator John Johnson said.

When outreach workers make contact, the first priority is to make sure the young person is safe, Johnson said. Homeless youth are susceptible to sexual and drug abuse, according to Bage. The outreach workers tell the youth about services available, offer food, and help them find shelter, Johnson shares.

When they meet minors on the street, outreach workers are required by law to notify the Department of Children and Families (DCF). They also contact the child’s family. For youth 18 and older, they help them find shelter if they want it.

In addition to street outreach, the WFC recently launched a new Shelter Family Program. The 21-day program provides temporary shelter for youth ages 13 to 17 with a volunteer host family that has been licensed by DCF.

“It can be a respite from what’s going on at home,” Johnson said.

Although numerous services are available to these troubled young people, many are leery of accepting help, Johnson said.

“It’s just about being there and letting them know that you’re there,” he said. “The most important thing is for us to be there when they’re ready.”

If you are interested in volunteering as a shelter family, please click on the pdf that accompanies this article.