Hillsborough County school district announces new program focused on preventing homelessness

FOX 13 News

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – The Hillsborough County school district announced a new program Friday that is aimed at helping students whose families are facing homelessness avoid ending up on the streets.

The program, called Pathways to Hope, launched in March, allowing the district and its partners in the community to hit the ground running when the school year started earlier this month.

Dr. Myrna Hogue, Supervisor of Hillsborough Schools Social Work Services, said Pathways to Hope focuses on prevention.

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“It’s really about trying to get to those families when they’re struggling, when they’re not quite self-sufficient economically and getting services in place so that they can be self-sufficient before they end up in a homeless situation,” Hogue told FOX 13. “This is really about prevention so that kids can be successful in school, they have a place to live, and they have all the resources that they need.”

There are more than 4,000 homeless students in Hillsborough schools. The district identified 10 schools with the highest population of children facing homelessness, up to 16 percent in some cases. Those campuses will now have a family resource specialist on hand to help parents connect with other programs, agencies and advocates in the community.

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