Even though we're constantly progressing as a society, there's still a lingering stigma against the homeless, and the challenges that arise as a result often makes it difficult for those individuals to put themselves in better situations. Over the weekend, a story broke about Washington D.C. student Jamal Speaks, who was barred from playing on his high school football team because he was homeless. According to NBC Washington, officials said that Speaks became ineligible to play -- or even practice with his team in the meantime -- because they couldn't verify a permanent address to confirm residency.
For many low-income and homeless youths, a scholarship of some sort is their only shot at receiving a college education; among those are sports scholarships, which often provide a full ride for promising young athletes. Adding insult to injury, recruiters from Temple University had come to watch Speaks play when he was pulled from the game to be sidelined because of his residency status.
As soon as the story gained popularity, however, the community quickly rallied to provide support. The Covenant House of Greater Washington, a non-profit focused on providing shelter and other resources for homeless youth, provided housing for the young man. Temple University offered him a scholarship to play for their team next year, and his school district says that he will be allowed to play again. Additionally, a GoFundMe (a crowdfunding site allowing individuals to donate to a cause) set up by Speaks himself surpassed its goal of $5,000 and reached over an astonishing $20,000.
Although this story has a happy ending, there are other homeless students who perhaps aren't so lucky. Those who don't receive scholarships may not be able to attend college at all; others may not receive enough financial aid find themselves needing to take on a crushing amount of debt to pursue their dreams. Here at the HIGH Program, we want to help homeless and precariously-housed students so that they're never forced to choose between furthering their education and providing themselves with basic needs. We provide assistance in many ways, especially housing and financial support, to help alleviate the struggle. If you or someone that you know is a struggling student at Wayne State, check out our website to see if you qualify for assistance. We believe that for every student like Jamal Speaks, there's a handful of others whose stories don't reach the mainstream media, but struggle just the same.
This week, we leave our readers by posing them with this question: how can we as a community stop the stigma of homelessness and start to see the potential in every person?
"There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more." -- Robert M. Hensel
For many low-income and homeless youths, a scholarship of some sort is their only shot at receiving a college education; among those are sports scholarships, which often provide a full ride for promising young athletes. Adding insult to injury, recruiters from Temple University had come to watch Speaks play when he was pulled from the game to be sidelined because of his residency status.
As soon as the story gained popularity, however, the community quickly rallied to provide support. The Covenant House of Greater Washington, a non-profit focused on providing shelter and other resources for homeless youth, provided housing for the young man. Temple University offered him a scholarship to play for their team next year, and his school district says that he will be allowed to play again. Additionally, a GoFundMe (a crowdfunding site allowing individuals to donate to a cause) set up by Speaks himself surpassed its goal of $5,000 and reached over an astonishing $20,000.
Although this story has a happy ending, there are other homeless students who perhaps aren't so lucky. Those who don't receive scholarships may not be able to attend college at all; others may not receive enough financial aid find themselves needing to take on a crushing amount of debt to pursue their dreams. Here at the HIGH Program, we want to help homeless and precariously-housed students so that they're never forced to choose between furthering their education and providing themselves with basic needs. We provide assistance in many ways, especially housing and financial support, to help alleviate the struggle. If you or someone that you know is a struggling student at Wayne State, check out our website to see if you qualify for assistance. We believe that for every student like Jamal Speaks, there's a handful of others whose stories don't reach the mainstream media, but struggle just the same.
This week, we leave our readers by posing them with this question: how can we as a community stop the stigma of homelessness and start to see the potential in every person?
"There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more." -- Robert M. Hensel
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