The school year is wrapping up for residents of Phoenix Hall, The Night Ministry's housing program for North Lawndale College Prep High School (NLCP) students experiencing homelessness or housing instability. This was Phoenix Hall's inaugural year, having opened last August in time for the 2017-18 academic year. Its first year was capped by the graduation of one of the residents, who plans to attend college in the fall.
Chicago's public school system serves more than 18,000 homeless students a year, and NLCP estimates that between 8 and 10% of its students experience homelessness. Young people without a high school education are more than three times as likely to experience homelessness as their stably housed peers, making stable housing that supports academic success a critical component in breaking the cycle of homelessness.
Erin Ryan, The Night Ministry's Senior Vice President, has written an article for Social Innovations Journal about how Phoenix Hall is supporting educational achievement. You can find the article on the Social Innovations Journal website.