New Community Program Helps Homeless Teens and Families in Poway

Attending school is a given for many, but for nearly seventy students in the Poway Unified School District it’s something they fight to do every day.

Referred to as unaccompanied youth by Abbie Davis, PUSD’s Youth in Transition coordinator, they are minors without a fixed or adequate residence who are forced to fend for themselves.

“By law we have to assist them,” Davis said of YIT, which is funded through a grant based on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. “We offer transportation to and from school, free lunch and school supplies if needed.”

In an effort to get more assistance, Davis brought the issue before the Poway City Council, a city where some of the unaccompanied youth reside. Her announcement resonated with Councilwoman Merrilee Boyack.

“I just decided that we could do a better job taking care of our own,” said Boyack, who initiated the Poway Homeless Project—a program where local religious congregations “adopt” a person in need and help out with things like a “ride to the doctor, food or a warm jacket.”

“[The services] will really vary depending on the individual’s need and the congregation’s resources,” Boyack said. “We want to help these people to be able to be independent and provide for themselves.”

Intended to serve students, families and street dwellers alike, the program will be administered by Mary Mitchell and Soroptimist International of Poway, whose mission is to assist women and children.

Just a few weeks old, the program has already found support networks for three teens and five families. For more information or to get involved, contact Mitchell at 800-299-5733 or mary@marymitcell.com.