$9 Million In COVID Relief Funds Coming To Support Okla. Students Experiencing Homelessness

Some students experiencing homelessness have shifted their focus from studies to survival as the COVID-19 pandemic isolates them from their schools.

“It’s really hard if you didn’t eat last night or sleep or you’re hiding from an abuser or any of these kinds of things. Logging onto a Zoom meeting is really the last thing you’re thinking about doing,” said Amy Brewer, Director of Education at Positive Tomorrow, a nonprofit that supports students experiencing homelessness. 

Monday, the U.S. Department of Education released nearly $2.5 million to the Oklahoma State Department of Education to support these students. 

This money is part of a larger $800 million pot of money set aside by the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief -- Homeless Children and Youth Fund.

In a statement last week, White House officials emphasized the importance of providing wraparound services with these funds for students experiencing homelessness.

“The money released today is the first allocation of federal COVID relief funds specifically designated for students struggling with homelessness,” said Carrie Burkhart, Executive Director of Communications for the OSDE. 

Nine million total will be coming to Oklahoma for this population.

Burkhart said that the department of education has not yet determined how these federal funds will be allocated, or when they will be distributed.