Editor’s note: This is the second article in a three-part look at homelessness and its effect on the North Kitsap School District. The names of students in the story have been changed to protect their identities.

When times are tough, families with school-aged children often face unique challenges. Giving kids the necessary attention in areas like education, health care, food and shelter can be difficult when a family is homeless or constantly hopping from shelter to car to motel.

Several resources exist to help homeless and low-income families in the North Kitsap area. Some are provided by non-profit organizations, while others come from federal, state and local tax dollars.

In addition to reduced price meals and other services available to low-income students, the North Kitsap School District offers free health care at the School Based Health Clinic located at Spectrum Community School in Kingston. It is the only such school based clinic in Kitsap County.

“One of the biggest issues we have, or students have, is just around health. Not just their physical health, but their mental health and healthy environments,” Spectrum Assistant Principal Jackie Finckler said.

About 66 percent of students at Spectrum qualify for reduced-price school meal programs based on income. Many of them cannot afford health care. The free clinic is a benefit to several of the students.

“Once a year, we get free cleaning for our teeth. And I think that’s awesome, because I can’t afford going to the dentist,” said Kaley Burns, a senior at Spectrum. “And every once in a while we have papers telling us where we can go to get free food and stuff.”

About 100 students in the North Kitsap School District were considered homeless as recently as September 2009. That number has remained static for the past two years, said Patricia Moore, director of elementary education for the district.

The school district considers students homeless if they live on the street, in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, in abandoned buildings or share living space with other families.

The numbers of homeless students in other local school districts vary widely depending on the time of year. The Bremerton School District’s homeless count has increased from 30 to 76 students in the past two years, based on the same criteria North Kitsap uses, said Patty Glaser, head of community relations and communications for the district. Central Kitsap identified 103 homeless students this year, said Chris Wyatt, director of student services for the district. South Kitsap had 71 homeless students as of Dec. 16, said Dave Colombini, director of school and family support services for the district. Bainbridge Island identified 18 homeless students last June, but none this fall, and numbers tend to fluctuate erratically, said Pamela Keyes, district spokesperson.

Every public school in Washington state offers free and reduced-price meals for students who qualify based on income levels. Students in Kitsap schools qualifying for reduced-price meals pay nothing for breakfast and nothing for lunch if they are in grades kindergarten through fifth. Students in grades six through 12 using reduced-price meal programs get free breakfast and pay 40 cents for lunch.

The clinic at Spectrum, which opened in September 2003, is open every weekday to students from throughout the district, although it is primarily used by low-income students. It offers health education once a week, as well as medical care every Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesdays the clinic brings in a psychologist who kids can talk to if they want.

“He’s perfect to talk to,” Burns said of the clinic’s psychologist. “That can really help for the people who have no one to talk to.”

Some students use the school clinic exclusively and are not sure where to turn for health care after graduation. The staff at Spectrum work with health care agencies to wean former students off the school clinic and onto other programs.

“We actually have kids come back, once they’re off in the world, because they don’t have health care,” Finckler said.

The health clinic workers meet with the students and take care of the students’ emergent needs then help refer them out to other agencies.

Spectrum also works with local non-profit groups to help kids that need services in addition to health care and less expensive meals. Some students receive grocery gift cards for Albertsons and Wal-Mart stores from the non-profit group, StandUp For Kids. The school staff dole out the cards to kids who they feel need them.

“We generally keep our ears and eyes open, and teachers will come and say, ‘So-and-so’s family is in a little bit of a strait this month.’ Or we’ll hear that mom or dad is out of work and it’s the end of the month and they’re really struggling and we’ll give them whatever gift cards we have,” Finckler said.

On Jan. 28 and 29, the Kitsap Continuum of Care Coalition will perform a “point in time” count of the people within Kitsap County considered homeless. The Coalition does a count each year to help determine what types of services are needed for homeless people, and where.

A number of non-profit organizations also help homeless and low-income families and children across Kitsap County. On Feb. 5, the Herald will highlight some of those organizations and how people can get involved and help.

Where to find help

To find out more about educational assistance options for homeless and low-income students in Washington state, call the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction at (360) 725-6050, email melinda.dyer@k12.wa.us or visit the OSPI’s homeless education Web page.

To read part three of this series, click here.