Roanoke Schools report more homeless students this year

Nearly 497 homeless students reported for 2017-2018 school year

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ROANOKE – There are 497 homeless students in Roanoke City Public Schools so far for the 2017-2018 school year.

That number is up from last year, when they ended the school year with 488.

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Since the Help the Homeless fund started three years ago, the school system has spent $16,352  helping 109 families and a total of 228 students with things like a utility bill or rent to prevent evictions.

The boys and girls basketball teams from Patrick Henry and William Fleming will play staff Tuesday night to raise money. It's $5 to get in or $10 if you want dinner to go with the game.

All the money goes to the Help the Homeless fund. It starts at 6 p.m. at Patrick Henry High School.

"Generally speaking, the number of homeless students is trending downward.  When we started this initiative three years ago, we were ending the school year with 604 homeless students.  I think you are going to have some ups and downs," said Justin McLeod, a spokesperson for the schools.

You can visit this link to find out more about the event or Help the Homeless.


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You can see Jenna weekday mornings at the anchor desk on WSLS 10 Today from 5-7 a.m. She also leads our monthly Solutionaries Series, where we highlight the creative thinkers and doers working to make the world a better place.