At the end of this month, many of THC’s participants will face the exciting and invigorating potential for a fresh start: the beginning of school. Through our different housing options, THC serves 716 people under the age of 18. Like all youth in DC, THC’s school age youth will travel to their school and learn a variety of important skills that will impact them for the duration of their lives. Some will play football, others will choose to learn an instrument – the array of interests within the youth that THC serves is vast.

One thing that does unite the young people that THC serves is a shared history of homelessness and housing instability. The unfortunate reality is that the odds

are already stacked against many of the youth that we serve. During homelessness schooling is often interrupted or delayed, and as families move from house to house students often have to switch schools. Homeless children are twice as likely to be suspended from school, repeat a grade or to have a learning disability. The Urban Institute reports that, “Persistently poor children are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school.”

We know that poverty is a cycle, and that if a parent is poor – their child is more likely to be poor. Education is a powerful to in helping to bridge this gap. THC provides a variety of support services to the youth that we serve ranging from youth services (connecting families to schools) to weekly tutoring sessions.

Every year we provide backpacks full of supplies for any of the youth in our program that need them. This year we are aiming to support 375 children with the supplies they need to start the year off prepared. We are over half way to our goal, and with school just 3 weeks away we ask for your support. $20 is all it takes to pay for the supplies for one student. Take a moment to give one DC student a fresh start by donating today.