Giving Tuesday: San Jose school district launches fundraiser for homeless students
SAN JOSE, CA - Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day when people around the world donate to a cause or charity to help transform the community.
East Side Union High School District is asking people to donate anything they can to help nearly a thousand students who are struggling with housing while trying to get an education.
"You can imagine, I think we can all imagine how difficult it is because if you don’t have enough to eat, that impact your education," said Carlos Singh, East Side Education Foundation Executive Director.
Giving Tuesday is held each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as an act of generosity and service. In San Jose, the East Side Union High School District launched its own Giving Tuesday campaign to address a growing issue – homelessness within its student population.
"Some have probably faced chronic housing issues and have been living from motels to shelters to the streets to a park," said Maryam Aldalat, Director of Student Services for East Side Union High School District.
In 2020, the district said it had 300 students who were homeless, meaning they were living in transitional housing like a motel or living with someone other than a parent, due to financial hardships. This year the district has identified about 900 unhoused students and expects that number to grow to 1500 students by the end of the school year.
"Students who are maybe not attending have attendance challenges. Or maybe they are attending but don’t necessarily have their basic needs met as far as clothing, shoes, you know, coming to school hungry," Aldalat said.
Aldalat says all money raised will go directly to students through the federal McKinney-Vento Program, which gives homeless students warm clothing and gift cards during the holiday season. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures the rights and protections of youth experiencing homelessness.
"It’s a matter of making sure that they have the same access to education that any other child has," Singh said.
The East Side Education Foundation also partners with San Jose State University to provide scholarships to the same students who are struggling with housing insecurity. If you’d like to donate to this cause this Giving Tuesday, just go to East Side Fund.