More than 1,300 students experience homelessness within the Davis School District. With the help of community partners, the Davis Education Foundation is removing barriers by building teen resource centers at high schools. 

Today, we were fortunate enough to sit down and talk with Jodi Lunt, Executive Director of the Davis Education Foundation to get additional details about this project and why it’s essential to the community.

 

Many may not realize that Davis County has a high homeless population and might be asking why there is even a need for teen centers. Sadly, homelessness is often an invisible problem with real consequences. Students experiencing homelessness are twice as likely to miss school and 20 percent less likely to graduate from high school. 

Davis School District and the Davis Education Foundation are working with the community to remove barriers to learning for those students. Most prevalent is its building of teen resource centers in eight of the district’s high schools and the Renaissance Academy. 

Teen centers provide students in need with a place to shower, do laundry, study, access basic essentials, and work with counselors to get connected to critical resources. The first center opened at Clearfield High in 2021 with five more soon be completed. The first teen center at Clearfield high is serving between 50 and 60 students per week.

The district is planning to open three more teen shelters so every high school has resource centers to help at-risk students, also the district is preparing to open a shelter for students experiencing homelessness.

Unfortunately, these centers that can help homelessness and students in crisis cannot be accomplished without the help of the community. 

To learn more details or find out how you can also help, visit their website.

Story shared on The Daily Dish