More than 20,000 LAUSD students self-identify as homeless. They are living in shelters, motels, abandoned buildings, cars, doubled up with other families or, at worst, living on the streets.
What is the LAUSD Homeless Student Event?
LAUSD supplies 12,000 backpacks to children every year. In December 2020, The Giving Spirit launched The LAUSD Homeless Student Program and committed to serving 6,000 backpacks of essential learning supplies and hygiene products to vulnerable young people and their families. We served 1200 students in April this year with another 4800 students to be served when they return to school in the fall.
"For students experiencing homelessness, school is often the only form of stability and consistency in their lives. A backpack filled with school supplies and/or hygiene items provides students access to the tools they need to actively participate and succeed in their educational setting. A backpack also improves a child's self-esteem and may foster motivation to stay focused on their academics".
-Tammy Wood of LAUSD's Senior Parent Community Facilitator, Homeless Education Office
The LAUSD Homeless Student Program is a priceless investment in our future. Unhoused students desperately need our support and encouragement if they are to “learn their way out of poverty.” The complex issues they face cannot be summed up with negative stereotypes and assumptions about who deserves our support.
Each LAUSD Student Backpack contains:
- School supplies (including a notebook, folders, pens, and calculator)
- Hygiene kit (soap, deodorant, and dental care items)
- Hand sanitizer, cloth face masks, sanitary wipes.
- Shampoo, lotion, water bottle, and a Friendship Card.
