Roots and Branches: September 2025
As summer fades and the school year begins, children across Philadelphia prepare to return to classrooms filled with familiar faces, routines, and opportunities. For many, this season brings excitement—a new backpack, a fresh start, and the comfort of a consistent desk in a familiar classroom. But for students experiencing homelessness, the back-to-school season can be a time of uncertainty, instability, and invisible struggle.
Students affected by homelessness face barriers that go far beyond academics. Frequent moves between shelters, temporary housing, or staying with relatives often mean changing schools multiple times a year. This instability disrupts learning, severs relationships with teachers and peers, and erodes the sense of safety and belonging that school can provide.
Without a permanent address, transportation becomes a daily hurdle. Access to school supplies, clean clothes, and nutritious meals is inconsistent. And the emotional toll—anxiety, shame, and isolation—can be overwhelming.
For children experiencing homelessness, school can be a sanctuary. A consistent classroom, a familiar teacher, and a desk that’s theirs—even if only for a few hours a day—can offer a sense of normalcy, dignity, and security. These small but powerful anchors help students feel seen, valued, and capable of thriving.
This experience is familiar to me—not just professionally, but personally. I know what it’s like to navigate school while facing housing insecurity. That’s why I believe so deeply in the power of stability, and the importance of making sure every child has a safe and consistent place to learn. Project HOME’s after school programs offer this to many students in the 19121 and 19132 zip codes.
Through our programming at Honickman Learning Center Comcast Technology Labs (HLCCTL) and our supportive housing at Rowan Judson/Diamond, Project HOME works with local schools and community partners to ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed. From providing backpacks to connecting families with mental health services, we strive to make the transition back to school smoother and more secure.
Education plays a crucial role in preventing homelessness and supporting families facing insecurity. It can help break the cycle of homelessness by providing a pathway to better employment opportunities and financial sustainability. We invite you to be part of the solution. Whether by donating school supplies, volunteering your time at HLCCTL, or advocating for equitable education policies, your support helps ensure that every child—regardless of housing status—can walk into school with confidence and hope. Because every child deserves a place to call home, and a desk they can call their own.
