Creating Community Change: Addressing the Traumas of Homeless Students and Other Vulnerable Youth

Scholarship Prep will implement its project, Creating Community Change: Addressing the Traumas of Homeless Students and Other Vulnerable Youth. The purpose is to develop a multi-tiered, trauma-informed, cross-agency approach to address the traumas of vulnerable youth, especially those experiencing homelessness, in order to prevent and respond to community violence. Project activities include regular staff training on trauma-informed practices; violence prevention lessons for students; skill development and enhancement training for students; individual and group sessions for the most vulnerable youth; case management services by external agencies; regular student mentoring; on-campus, virtual, and in-home family training; and a campus calming center. Expected outcomes include the development of a multidisciplinary task force to identify students most at-risk and track program success; a website with publicly accessible training materials; greater feelings of satisfaction and belonging for students; increased attendance rates; decreased suspension rates; and greater feelings of satisfaction and belonging for families.