Senator Collins Meets with Maine Advocates for Homeless Children and Youth

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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins recently met with a group of Maine advocates for homeless children and youth.

Jamie Caouette of Lewiston High Schools’ The Store Next Door program; Travis Jalbert, Dean of Students at Lewiston High School; and Dan Sansoucy, liaison for homeless students at Lewiston High School visited Washington to represent Maine at the annual conference for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY).

“By working with homeless students at Lewiston High School, Jamie, Travis, and Dan play crucial, often life-changing roles for at-risk youth in our state,” said Senator Collins.  “I enjoyed meeting with them in the Capitol while they were in D.C. attending the annual NAEHCY conference.  School is challenging enough without students having to worry about where they will sleep each night.  Jamie, Travis, and Dan are champions for our young people, helping homeless youth to achieve stability and receive the same opportunities as their peers.  I will continue to support their efforts as the Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee.”

As the Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins has made it her goal to address chronic homelessness. Last week, the Senate approved Senator Collins’ fiscal year 2020 Housing funding bill, which included $2.8 billion to help communities design and implement local solutions to end homelessness. In August, Senator Collins announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $3,354,677 to the Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) to combat youth homelessness throughout the State of Maine.  This year, Senators Collins and Joe Manchin (D-WV) are leading a resolution designating November 2019 as “National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month.”

The NAEHCY is a national membership association dedicated to ensuring educational equity and excellence for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The organization connects educators, parents, advocates, researchers, and service providers to ensure school enrollment and attendance and overall success for children and youth whose lives have been disrupted by the lack of safe, permanent, and adequate housing.