Volume 124 Issue 20
kansan.com
Friday, September 16, 2011
PARKING PROBLEMS
AbleHawks group question if administration is listening to its concerns PAGE 3
WALKING THE RUNWAY
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Johanna Moon, a student at Cordley Elementary, leans on the front door of Lawrence Community Shelter early Thursday morning as she waits to go to school. There is a large number of families with children elementary age that are currently living here.
MORGAN LAFORGE/KANSAN
dmscott@kansan.com
Students know the challenges of waking up for that 8 a.m. class. But some students — much younger students — understand a different struggle. These students, along with getting up early, must make their way from the Lawrence Homeless Shelter. In the morning, a group of 17 children woke up and shared two showers and two toilets along side 14 adults. After getting ready they went up stairs and waited with 40 more adults for breakfast, or walked to school and received a free meal at school.
viduals here struggling. Their selfesteem is being damaged each day they're here. Their self worth is
"Kids are so adaptable. The stressors we see are getting used to a new school and the stigma that may come with the label 'shelter kid' or 'homeless kid'," said Jennifer Davis, the case manager at the Lawrence Community Shelter. "Luckily, so many of them are going to the same school that they
the past, it would be just one new kid coming from the shelter. He or she would stand out a little bit more."
According to the Kansas Point in Time Homeless Count for Douglas County, a biannual report, the Lawrence school district counted 100 children ages K-12 who were homeless in 2009 and 149 in 2011, accounting for a 49 percent increase.
Davis has seen a dramatic increase in family homelessness in Douglas County.
The school district defines homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act, which includes families that are double-up or staying with family or friends.
dren. So far this year, the shelter is serving 11 families with 14 adults and 21 children, 17 of which are in school.
SEE HOMELESS|3
The shelter began its Family Program at the end of 2008. In 2009, there were 14 families with 24 adults and 24 children in the program. In 2010, there were 50 families with 67 adults and 83 chil-
"We have families and indi-
ing this will make information about the issue up front rather than waiting until the end of the year would help them navigate potentially dangerous situations better, she added.
The main goals of the week were to increase awareness and educate the campus about sexual assault. Each day this week, volunteers had this table on Wescoe Beach set up where students could take a pledge to hold others accountable for their actions and try to put an end to sexual assault.
Students could also decorate bandanas in honor of a victim of sexual assault and learn more about what sexual assault is and what resources are available for assistance with a different
part of the week.
Today, volunteers will discuss the importance of bystander intervention. The GaDuGi SafeCenter will also host two events over the weekend to raise awareness and money to prevent sexual assault.
"We want to make sure they know how they can help and how they can be an advocate," said Heath. "And we want them to know its not just a women's issue. We want to make it okay for men on this campus to be able to talk about it seriously and try to help prevent it on our campus."
Edited by Josh Kantor
CLASSIFIEDS 9 CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 10
CROSSWORD 4 OPINION 5 SUDOKU 4
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
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