COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – More than 450 students in Branch County schools have been identified as homeless as the new school year begins this fall.
The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act provides $50,000 in grant funding which is distributed under the direction of Holly Carpenter, who is the coordinator for the program in Branch and Hillsdale Counties. Carpenter spoke yesterday morning at the meeting of the Coldwater Early Bird Exchange Club.
She said in the 2018-2019 school year, there were 456 school children in Branch County that were identified as eligible for assistance under the federal act with 241 male students and 215 female students.
Members of the Early Bird Club on Wednesday presented Carpenter with dozens of new socks and underwear which they purchased for the program and in other years had bought school supplies for the homeless students.
Since 2007, November has been designated as National Homeless Youth Awareness month with Carpenter and other organizers planning a special one day event that month to raise funds and increase local awareness of the problem.
