October 13, 1999

STEP program offers help to homeless

By Justin Trapp
Herald staff writer
       At the end of the day, local kids have all learned what they needed to learn, eaten what made them full, and magically disappeared, only to return again the next morning to school. Where do all these children go? Is it to happy homes, stable homes, fixed homes? And to how many children is home an alien word, something that they don't have?
      The Students in Transition Empowerment Program, or STEP, is aimed to help K-12 students who are in a "homeless" situation.
      "Typically when we think of homeless, we think of somebody's who's living on the street," says Jean Peltola, coordinator of STEP. "That certainly isn't the only situation."
      Homeless is defined by STEP to include runaways, castaways, doubled-up families, or any individual who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate residence. Teachers, friends, and social workers may observe absence, frequent illness, lack of appropriate clothing, and fatigue in homeless students.
      STEP, which is still a fledgling program, is funded by various statewide and local grants. The program targets students in the Traverse City Area Public Schools, and provides them with educational supplies, as well as references to shelters such as Goodwill or the Women's Resource Center.
      "Kids feel some sense of relief. They can see that possibly help is on the horizon, rather than feeling devastated with the situation they're in," says Peltola, whose efforts have helped pull together support resources from around the area.
      The program was inspired by a massive increase in the number of documented homeless children in the Grand Traverse Area, which climbed to well over 200 in 1998.
      Angie Kirby, a grant writer and evaluator of STEP, worked in cooperation with Kip Diotte, Goodwill director, Pat Lewallen, special programs principal, along with others to produce the guidelines of STEP and fund it. To date, the program has received more than $45,000, though additional grants are still needed to fully implement the support resources. Money raised goes towards tutors, back packs, tennis shoes, and various other school supplies for homeless students.
      "I see kids every week that say 'I've been kicked out of my house,' or 'I've left my house,' or this is what's happening,'" says Kirby, a counselor at Traverse City West Senior High School.
      One of the many goals is to eventually receive funding for a children's shelter in the Grand Traverse Area. In the past, homeless children have often been labeled as special education, and not tracked or documented, much less offered a way out, said Peltola. That is what the STEP program hopes to give children: a way out.
      Kirby, who by mid Monday morning had already been informed of two new homeless cases, explained that children who are given support and the proper resources do better in school, have more ambition to succeed, and learn valuable coping skills.
      "We desperately need this program," says Kirby." We have been at a disadvantage because we haven't had it. And this is such a huge district, it's remarkable that we have found someone of this caliber to coordinate the effort."
      STEP can assist children in advocating their right to basic educational needs. For more information on the program, donations, or if you know a child in a homeless situation, contact Jean Peltola, STEP Coordinator, at 933-8991, or fax at 933-6460.