Recent data from the National Alliance’s Homelessness Research Institute showed that the number of children experiencing homelessness during the 2021-2022 school year nationwide was greater than the total population of children living in 28 states. That is nearly 1.2 million children. In Mercer County, between 2022 and 2023, there was a 34% increase in homelessness; 28% of those who were homeless were school-aged children under 18.
In an effort to prevent and end youth homelessness, Anchor House offers a School Outreach Program that started 40 years ago and has evolved over the years. It not only supports youth that are in our programs but our School Outreach Counselor reaches youth in area schools and in community programs, especially ones that are experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness, and connects them with services like our Shelter.
Rebecca Thompson is our School Outreach Counselor. Her primary focus in her work is to help youth stay in school and prevent youth homelessness. Rebecca explains, “My goal is to help them [youth] stay at home so they do not run away and if, the situation is bad, know where to go for help.” Rebecca stresses the importance to the youth she works with about staying in school, both at the Shelter and in our other programs and in the schools in the community, as that is key to preventing homelessness.
Rebecca works with schools throughout Mercer County including most recently spreading the word about Anchor House at Back to School Nights. She focuses primarily on Trenton where there is the greatest need for services. To demonstrate the need, as reported in the 2023 Trenton Kids Count report, 260 students in Trenton Public Schools were identified as homeless, over triple the number in the 2020 report.
Rebecca works very closely with school counselors and has worked with students individually and facilitated workshops based on requests from these counselors. “Last year, I offered a healthy relationship program at an intermediate school,” explained Rebecca. “My focus was other than just romantic relationships – it was on relationships with family, teachers, friends, and how to communicate and express emotions. It was also who to talk to if you don’t feel safe.”
Rebecca provided the students with exit tickets, encouraging them to “let me know if there’s someone at school they would like to speak with – a nurse, a counselor, a music teacher, whoever they want to talk to.” She also provides hotlines to students where they can get connected to services if they could not identify a trusted adult. One of the students she worked with had the courage to call one of the hotlines to report that her friend was being abused.
Topics that Rebecca has covered include anger management, coping with stress, conflict resolution, grief, bullying and sexting. “If students have healthy relationships, they are more likely to be able to concentrate and stay in school. If they are more likely to stay in school, they are less likely to become homeless.”
The healthy relationships program ran for seven weeks and Rebecca was invited back to the school to do sessions focused on boundaries. “I focused on teaching them about their rights, about consent, and how to set boundaries with one another, because if youth can do that they will be much safer now and in the future.” She encourages youth to stay calm and direct when expressing their boundaries. Rebecca explained that they are often not seeing healthy relationships at home. “We want them to know about healthy relationships now not when they are say 23 and they are fleeing an abusive relationship and finding themselves homeless.”
Rebecca also works with community programs in the area like the Boys and Girls Club where she gets the opportunity to work with high school students. With the high schoolers, Rebecca focuses too on healthy relationships but deals with other topics like pregnancy prevention, again with the intent to prevent homelessness. One of the main reasons teen girls do not graduate high school is pregnancy which makes them more at-risk to become homeless.
The work Rebecca does in the schools and with community programs serves several purposes – these youth need to be educated on these topics, it helps to prevent homelessness, and it also educates youth about Anchor House’s services in case they are ever in need of them, like the Shelter and Anchor House’s personal development groups that youth can participate in.
A population of particular concern for Rebecca is LGBTQI+ youth. Research has shown that those who identify as LGBTQI+ have a 120% higher risk of experiencing homelessness and also are more likely to experience assault, trauma, depression, and suicide when compared to non-LGBTQI+ populations while also being homeless. Rebecca said that they are much more likely to become victims of trafficking. For LGBTQI+ youth, Rebecca said, “They might just be in need of one adult who validates their identity, to say I get it, I am sorry that you have not felt accepted. That could make all the difference in their lives.”
Rebecca had a connection to Anchor House long before she started working in this role in April of 2023. She was a resident at the Shelter in her youth. Prior to coming to the Shelter, Rebecca attempted suicide. Her parents sought help with a counselor who Rebecca did not connect with. Not getting the help she needed from her parents or the counselor, Rebecca sought help at the Shelter. “Anchor House set me up with a counselor who I loved so much,” said Rebecca. “One person can make a difference and give you the strength to continue.”
We are thankful to Rebecca and all the Anchor House staff that has made a difference!
To learn more about the School Outreach Program, please contact Rebecca at rthompson@anchorhousenj.org or call 609-396-8329.
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