Last month, NBC Bay Area reported that the homeless student population tripled in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District in the last three years. That sobering news prompted community members to take action.
One person paid for a monthlong stay at a hotel for a family living in their car. Another offered free haircuts for unhoused students.
"It just moved my heart," Superintendent Dr. Hilaria Bauer said. "That’s what pushed me to say, 'What is the real story? What is the real data?'"
The numbers and the grander issue of housing insecurity are heartbreaking for Bauer. Working with the county housing authority, she discovered that 10% of her students are facing housing instability. That’s more than 700 families who either have no permanent home or need rent assistance.
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Bauer took the new data to the Valley Health Foundation and was awarded a $3.5 million grant, allowing her to open wellness centers at each of her middle and TK through eighth grade schools.
"Thanks to that generous grant, we are in the process of making that a reality," Bauer said. "We are very grateful with the Valley Health Foundation."
