LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a significant step to support students experiencing homelessness, Bullitt County Schools have been awarded nearly $100,000 in funding aimed at eliminating one of the biggest barriers to education: transportation.
The funding, made possible by a $125,000 grant from Ford Philanthropy through Metro United Way, comes at a time when the district’s program for homeless students has been struggling following cuts to federal funding. The district’s McKinney-Vento program, which supports students experiencing homelessness, faced staff reductions—including the loss of seven employees—but this new grant will help sustain the program over the next two years.
Tiffany Reynolds, the McKinney-Vento Liaison for Bullitt County Schools, works directly with students facing the challenges of homelessness. Reynolds explained that the situations of these students vary greatly. Some have been evicted, while others have lost their homes due to natural disasters, such as recent floods. Many of these students live in precarious conditions, often staying with family or friends outside the county, making regular school attendance even more difficult.
“They’re hiding in plain sight,” Reynolds said. “Maybe they’re hungry, maybe they’re dirty, they need their clothes washed… and then we find out, oh it’s because that family’s staying in a hotel and they don’t have access to transportation, so the parents are really struggling to get them to and from school.”
With approximately 450 homeless students in Bullitt County, the lack of a homeless shelter in the county makes it even harder for these students to access education. Many are forced to live outside the county, further complicating transportation to school.
“If you think about going to school and academics, if they have all of these other barriers, it’s really hard to focus and get them to graduation,” Reynolds explained. “And really, it’s very important for them to graduate from high school to get out of that cycle of poverty.”
The grant from Ford Philanthropy will directly address these transportation challenges. A portion of the funding, $82,000, will go to Bullitt County Schools to provide gas cards and hire a part-time van driver to help students get to and from school. The remaining funds will be allocated to BluePrint502, a nonprofit organization that will purchase a van for similar transportation needs.
“This is a really important first step in ensuring that we’re working in partnership with a lot of great organizations to fill a very critical gap,” said Josh Williams, Director of Strong Households at Metro United Way. “We want to help people get where they need to go and support them in whatever success looks like for them.”
The funding comes at a critical time, as the district grapples with the effects of losing federal funding. The loss of staff had already strained the ability of the program to support homeless students, and the new grant provides an essential lifeline to continue offering these services.
“If we can’t get kids to and from school, there’s no way they can succeed,” Reynolds added.
This grant is seen as a crucial step forward in the ongoing effort to break the cycle of poverty in Bullitt County. By addressing the transportation barriers that homeless students face, the initiative aims to ensure that these students have the opportunity to attend school regularly, stay on track academically, and ultimately graduate—paving the way for a brighter future.
