How Little Things Add Up to Keep Homeless Kids From School

By this time of the fall, families with kids are settling into the rhythm of the school year. For children, the days follow a familiar pattern. Get ready to get out the door, with varying amounts of chaos and stress; get to school by some regular means of transportation; sit through classes; get home; do homework; relax; sleep; start all over again. It quickly becomes dull.

But for homeless families, a boring, predictable schedule can often be an unattainable luxury – and children suffer as a result. This month, the Public Justice Center filed a class action federal lawsuit on behalf of three homeless families in Baltimore, alleging that their children don’t have consistent transportation to school and that they are stigmatized because they can't afford uniforms.