CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The city is offering $500 grants to the families of Chicago Public Schools students who are homeless or facing housing insecurity.
Mayor Lightfoot and Interim Chicago Public Schools CEO Dr. José M. Torres announced the city will use $9 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for the Chicago Families Forward Fund, providing up to 18,000 students or their families with $500 micro-grants.
Under the Chicago Families Forward Fund program, students in temporary living situations (STLS) eligible for STLS services for the 2021-22 school year are given a one-time $500 microgrant in the form of a check which will be made available for pick-up in the main office of the student’s school. Payments will be made on a per student basis, so families with multiple eligible students may receive an equal number of grants.
"Throughout this pandemic, our students and their families have experienced a number of traumas including the loss of employment, housing and even loved ones," said Mayor Lightfoot, in a statement. "The Chicago Families Forward Fund will serve as a meaningful next step in our citywide mission of addressing these traumas and further allow us to provide residents of all ages with the resources they need to thrive. After all, by nurturing the financial, physical and emotional wellbeing of our CPS families, we will be able to better set our students up for academic success—thus ensuring the future prosperity of our city."
Common reasons STLS students are absent from school include lack of school supplies, lack of clean or suitable clothing, and fear of bullying based on their family’s living situation. By providing these grants to students and families as the school year begins, the city and CPS aim to better equip students and their families to tackle financial challenges and enable reengagement with their schools and communities.
“STLS students and families were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and providing them with additional financial assistance will go a long way in helping them access the additional support they need,” said Interim CPS CEO Dr. José M. Torres, in a statement. “We are grateful to Mayor Lightfoot and Children First Fund (CFF) for supporting our students through the Chicago Families Forward Fund - which will help ensure CPS families most in need are connected with critical resources."
According to the Mayor's Office, the majority of STLS students belong to Chicago’s black and brown communities, which have borne the brunt of the pandemic’s health and economic impacts. The students experiencing homelessness are overwhelmingly children of color, at a total of 98 percent, whereas up to 76 percent are students in black communities.
Providing cash aid to families through their child’s school, as well as providing supports to STLS Liaisons in schools to help connect families to wrap-around supports, makes this program among the first of its kind in the U.S., the Mayor's Office said. These wrap-around supports include additional mental health supports, tutoring, city services including housing supports, as well as increasing awareness of general benefits provided to STLS students such as fee waivers, warm coats, and educational supplies. The program’s design and processes incorporate findings from rigorous research on direct cash transfer programs, chronic absence interventions, and roots of housing insecurity.
Eligible families may fill out a short registration form confirming eligibility at www.cps.edu/FamiliesForwardFund by Friday, Oct. 1, or pick up a paper registration form at their child’s school.
Meanwhile, advocates for the homeless and poor say the city needs to do more, especially as more families are expected to soon find themselves homeless.
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