Separate Schools for Homeless Children

It was very, very, hard to not live with my Mother for most of my childhood (my father was killed in an accident when I was 2), but she knew, because of her fragile mental state, she could not give me and my siblings a stable home and loved us enough to allow us to be put in a "children's home" where we could flourish, which we did. We all attended regular schools and I don't ever remember being made to feel "different" by the other students. The trend since the 60's has been to keep the family together while providing social services, but it appears that the children do not always receive the benefits they need from that system. Of course there are many more single parents now and much more drug and alcohol dependancy. I think people are a lot more mobile also, especially in Phoenix, so it is difficult for other family members to help out. My main point is no child should ever be "homeless" and they should have the same opportunity of any other child to receive a good education. They ought not to be "stigmtized" in a special school. I believe the money spent on this extra layer of bureaurocracy could be used in better ways to benefit the children. My mother,now 86 with dememtia, is being cared for by her children, all who have reared successful, healthy children themselves and are in stable, long term marriages. She is blessed with 7 beautiful grandchidren and 5 wonderful great children. I really believe the outcome would have been much different if she had not made that choice long ago to "give her children a chance"