Wheels For O'Neil
It’s back to school time! For kids living in the Steve O’Neil Apartments, having good school attendance is important for ending the cycle of homelessness in their families. But if they miss that school bus in the morning, even for a moment, with parents who don’t own cars, it can mean a whole day of lost learning. Steve O’Neil Apartments asks your help to buy a van, so that kids who miss the bus can still make it to school.
Why do we need a van?
Doing well in school takes determination. For kids whose families are ending the cycle of homelessness, school success can be even harder! Having good attendance helps children have the stability, routine, and safe relationships that school can provide, and helps them stay on track with their learning. If they miss the bus in the morning, staying home the whole school day is too heavy a price to pay. Every child deserves a backup ride to school. When Steve O’Neil Apartments has its own passenger van, Steve O’Neil kids will have better attendance at school, and more a promising pathway to achieving their dreams!
“I paid for a cab to get to a doctor's appointment earlier in the day and then came home. My doctor called and told me I needed to start a new med ASAP and I needed to get to the pharmacy to get it. Because I had no car, I had to wait two days before I could find someone to give me a ride.”
- Resident from the Steve O’Neil Apartments
What will we be using the van for?
Goal 1: Housing. To provide SONA families with transportation to appointments with The Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Duluth (HRA) to review and sign paperwork, keeping compliant with all regulations for living in permanent supportive housing
Goal 2: Health care. To provide SONA families with transportation to health, mental health, and dental appointments, treatments, immunizations, substance recovery groups, hospital stays and hospital discharge pickups, as well as transportation to fill prescriptions.
Goal 3: Education. To provide SONA families with transportation to school, such as a ride to school when a student misses the bus, transporting caregivers to parent-teacher conferences or community event nights at their children’s schools.
Goal 4: Workforce Development. To provide SONA adults with transportation to job-related services, such as job coaching, employability training, and job interviews.
Goal 5: Healthy Food and Household Items. To provide SONA families with transportation on shopping trips for groceries, hygiene and cleaning supplies.
Goal 6: Community Engagement. To provide SONA families with opportunities to participate in field trips, activities in nature, and community events, thereby enhancing social wellness for residents of all ages.
“Multiple children from different families consistently miss the am, and even the pm, bus pick-ups. Sometimes its little reasons, not owning an alarm clock or not having a working phone charger to use as an alarm, sometimes Mom has to leave just a little early for work and needs older siblings to help, but even when the kids are late, they still come down and try to make it to school. Without transportation, entire school days are missed, most often because of being just minutes behind schedule.”
- Steve O’Neil Apartments resident
