Homeless Early Childhood Initiatives

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Because children represent 16% of the over 9,000 homeless persons in the Hillsborough County, county officials began an initiative to give these children priority access to early childhood services. The Early Childhood Initiative targets 60 to 70 homeless families with 3 and 4 year old children currently residing in Hillsborough County. Referred either by the school system, ministry programs, or the county social services office, the Program aims to place the homeless children into productive pre-school and to get intensive assistance to the whole family. The children are placed in the Head Start program, offering an easily accessible learning environment that gives them an array of developmentally appropriate activities and services. This program has expanded to also give additional family members extra support and resources so that they can become self-sufficient members of the community. Through the program, families receive funding for child care and flexible funds which can be used to meet short term emergent needs such as transportation, health care, housing, job training, and child care.