Project Help supporting homeless students in Oktibbeha County

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The first day of school means new clothes, a backpack and for many students, a big adventure.

But some children are just trying to navigate their home life.

For over 13 years, Project Help has been supporting kids in Oktibbeha County who don’t have a place to call home.

For children who are caught between family members or just down on their luck, these volunteers step in.

Project Help is collecting school supplies, uniforms, and hygiene projects for students in Starkville and Oktibbeha County who are homeless.

The goal is to help these students have stability in their lives.

“These are children who have inconsistent home living conditions where they may go from home to home in the evening hours. They may be families who have doubled up because of some hardship they face along with the fact there are conditions that are not livable conditions. They may be living in hotels or other locations that are not appropriate for families to reside,” said Joan Butler.

According to Project Help, less than 25% of homeless children graduate from high school. They are hoping to change that.

“It’s to help them to be in the school on a regular basis attendance is a critical part of the goals of this project because we found that students who are homeless or more likely to be absent and we believe that students have to be in that classroom to be successful educationally,” said Tommie Vance.

There are a lot more kids who are living from house to house, sofa to sofa than you might think.

“More than what you would hope for or think about. Right now we have around 80 children in our program, but we in terms of years past, have seen as many as 150. It just varies from year-to-year, and we have to investigate to be sure that each recommendation or referral to us is worked and find out the details on if they actually meet the definition,” said Butler.

The State Department of Education, United Way, and Golden Triangle Association of Realtors are helping by supporting the project.