A bill recently signed into law in Illinois allows schools to buy motels for homeless students if the price of the motel is less than transportation cost for the student.
Illinois lawmakers say there are only a few temporary homeless shelters in the state and they're usually located far from school district, meaning transportation costs for these students can be high.
Acting Director of Human Service for the St. Louis County Department of Human Services, Kevin Mckenna, said Missouri and St. Louis lack similar legislation, even with high populations of homeless families.
Currently, homeless students in St. Louis have to go through several avenues to be connected with comprehensive housing resources, which are primarily offered through the City and the County Department of Human Services.
And while the passage of the Illinois bill is certainly turning heads in Missouri, McKenna said St. Louis students need more than just to be to connected to local resources.
"It's not enough just to provide with transportation or with a safe bed," he said. "We really need to start focusing on what are the root causes that put people in these situations to begin with."
And while the County Department continues to receive federal funding for local services, McKenna said it isn't stretching as far as it used to.
McKenna hopes the passage of the bill in Illinois will inspire similar conversations in Missouri.
Listen to the podcast above to hear more from McKenna.
Would unhoused students in Missouri benefit from similar legislation?
Would unhoused students in Missouri benefit from similar legislation?
