By Jay Sowers
The Selma Times-Journa

The start of another school year means employees behind the Dallas County School System’s Homeless Education Program are doing all they can to help less fortunate students feel more comfortable as they return to the classroom.

Dorothy Irvin, Parent Facilitator and Homeless Liaison with the DCSS, said the program is made possible by a grant from the State of Alabama and is of extreme importance to so many families throughout Dallas County.

“We have a significant number of homeless students within our school system, so this type of program allows us to help those students come to class without a stigma,” Irvin said.

Irvin estimates that 300 to 400 students in Dallas County benefit from the efforts of the program every year.

One of the most difficult hurdles the students face when entering school is a lack of clothing, which Irvin said is one of the first things the program aims to remedy when looking at a new case.

“We assist them in the enrollment process, but the main thing we do is making sure they have the proper clothing and no barriers in their school,” Irvin said.

She added that the reactions of the program’s youngest beneficiaries make all the hard work worthwhile.

“It’s very rewarding to see the look on the little one’s faces who get new clothing and new shoes when we deliver those,” Irvin said. “You’d think it was Christmas morning for them.”

While the program operates at an individual level, Irvin said it is important to the community as a whole.

“We need all of our boys and girls to go to school and to graduate,” Irvin said.

Along with enrollment assistance and clean clothes, each student, regardless of their age or grade in school, receives a hygiene bag loaded with everything from a toothbrush and toothpaste to shampoo and deodorant.

For more information on the program or on how to make donations, please reach Dorothy Irvin at (334) 872-6251.