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 Homeless Education/Liason Project (HE/LP) was developed in Santa Maria in 1991 as a collaborative project between the Santa Barbara County Education Office, the Community Action Commission, and Good Samaritan Shelter to meet the unique needs of children who experience homelessness. More than 1,200 school-aged children are assisted annually.
Families can self refer for services, be referred by local family assistance agencies, or be contacted by the liaison through schools, motels, emergency shelters or food assistance programs.
Funding
The HE/LP Program is supported by donations and local grants with in-kind support from the County Education Office, shelters and others. All funds received go directly to services for the children in order to meet their unique needs.
The Children
Children experiencing homelessness are truly an invisible population. An estimated number of 1,000 to 2,000 Santa Barbara County children fall into this situation each year. According to a report presented by health care consultant Roger E. Heroux (pdf) in 2006, there are a significantly higher number of homeless women and children in Lompoc and Santa Maria.
These children's problems are unique and require a special advocate to assist them in the world of pressing adult problems such as shelter, food, clothing, and employment.
Many homeless children are hungry and undernourished. Children without adequate housing suffer from more chronic health conditions. They have few, and often inadequate, clothing items for the weather or comfort.
Children experiencing homelessness face serious crisis and emotional turmoil. The stability of school is compromised because of frequent changes caused by moving from place to place. Many of these children suffer extreme depths of poverty, and lack the stability and emphasis on education that their housed peers enjoy.
Contact
Santa Maria: HE/LP
Lompoc: HE/LP
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