Photo: Ben Landers | Pixabay
Elementary school gym by day, homeless shelter by night. Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School (BVHM) in San Francisco host a long-term, overnight family shelter. City Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who was instrumental in advocating for the program, said, "As far as our knowledge in the entire country, we are the first people to do it." Nick Chandler, the BVHM community school coordinator, said, "Kids without a regular place to sleep at night weren't showing up ready to learn. And how could they? Your brain is not relaxed. You're not in learning mode, you're in survival mode, you're in flight or fight mode." Not a single teacher objected, and with the bulk of the community and mayor in support, the project moved forward. For students and families who utilized the Stay Over Program, teachers have already seen a difference. First-grade teacher Maribel Chavez said, "Students were able to come in and be present, to do their work and learn." Principal DeLarios Moran said, "If the child is not stable, that's a barrier to their education. So that's why we felt like as an educational institution, we had a mandate." Supervisor Ronen said,"We will not fix homelessness until the federal government believes that housing is a human right.Hopefully we will not need [a program like] this in the future, but right now we do."
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