Idaho Ed News partners with Word on the Street for series on student homelessness

For our 16th issue, Word on the Street partnered with Idaho Education News to publish two stories on youth homelessness in Canyon County. Written by Sami Edge, these stories describe the challenges homeless students and their families face while trying to navigate Idaho’s education system without a place to live.

The articles detail the work of the Nampa School District’s homeless education coordinators, called McKinney-Vento liaisons, as they grapple with the fallout of a pandemic and Idaho’s housing crisis. These educators and social workers help homeless youth find the resources they need to succeed in the classroom, assisting families with everything from applying for vouchers to making sure kids have access to enough food, school supplies, and clothing.

November’s Word on the Street also features an article on Interfaith Sanctuary’s family program, currently located at a hotel in Boise. The program provides 24/7 shelter, case management, and nutritional support to families as they search for permanent housing.

We hope these stories inspire readers to learn more about homelessness, share resources, and advocate for solutions.

Read the Ed News stories here:

Limited print copies are available at:

The Record Exchange
1105 W. Idaho St.

Downtown Boise Public Library
715 S. Capitol Blvd.

Downtown Boise YMCA
1050 W. State St.

Recovery for Life
8950 Emerald St. #178

Corpus Christi House
525 S. Americana Blvd.

The District Coffee
219 N. 10th St.

Laundry Haus
222 S. Orchard St.

Washing Time Laundry
4744 W State St.

Americana Pizza
304 S. Americana Blvd.

Neckar Coffee
117 S. 10th St.

Interfaith Sanctuary
1620 W. River St.

Treasure Valley Resource List

Treasure Valley School Homeless Liaisons:

Boise Schools – Tamara Vanegas: 208-854-4165, Tamra.Vanegas@boiseschools.org

Nampa Schools -Natalie Sandoval: 208-468-4600 ext. 1161, NSandoval@nsd131.org

Caldwell Schools – Patricia Arias: 208-455-4463, parias@caldwellschools.org

Vallivue Schools – Sylvia Olvera: 208-880-1576, sylvia.olvera@vallivue.org

West Ada Schools – Jeanne Buschine: 208-350-5043, Buschine.Jeanne@westada.org

For a complete list, visit: www.bit.ly/ID-McKinney-Vento or call your school district and ask for a Homeless Services Coordinator. 

Rental/Housing/Eviction Assistance: 

Idaho Housing and Finance Association: IdahoHousing.com, (208) 331-4700, rentalassistance@ihfa.org

Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority: Bcacha.org, (208) 363-9710, erap@bcacha.org

Jesse Tree: JesseTreeIdaho.org, (208) 383-9486, office@jessetreeidaho.org

Intermountain Fair Housing Council: IfhcIdaho.org, (208) 383-0695 or 1-800-717-0695, contact@ifhcidaho.org

CATCH: Catchprogram.org, (208) 246-8830, catch@catchprogram.org

Idaho Legal Aid Services: IdahoLegalAid.org, (208) 746-7541

Domestic Violence Resources:

Idaho Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-669-3176

Advocates against Family Violence (Caldwell): AAFVHope.org, (208) 459-4779 (24-hour hotline)

Nampa Family Justice Center: FJCFoundationofIdaho.org, (208) 475-5700

FACES of Hope (Boise): FacesofHopeVictimCenter.org, (208) 577-4400

Women’s and Children’s Alliance (Boise): (208) 343-7025 (24-hour hotline), info@wcaboise.org

Idaho Legal Aid Services: IdahoLegalAid.org, (208) 746-7541

Ada County Shelters:

Interfaith Sanctuary (Single Adults, Families w/Children): InterfaithSanctuary.org, (208) 343-2630, info@interfaithsanctuary.org, 1620 W River St, Boise, ID 83702

Idaho Youth Ranch Hays House (Youth): YouthRanch.org/hays-house, (208) 322-2308 (24-hour hotline)

River of Life Men’s Shelter: BoiseRM.org, (208) 389-9840, info@boiserm.org, 575 S 13th St, Boise, ID 83702

City Light Home for Women and Children: BoiseRM.org, (208) 368-9901, info@boiserm.org, 1404 W Jefferson St.

Boise, ID 83702

Corpus Christi House (Day shelter): CorpusChristiBoise.org, (208) 426-0045, cch.operationscoordinator@gmail.com, 525 S Americana Blvd, Boise, ID 83702

Canyon County Shelters:

Salvation Army Community Family Shelter: Nampa.SalvationArmy.org/Nampa, (208) 461-3733, 1412 4th St S Nampa, ID 83651

Valley Women and Children’s Shelter: BoiseRM.org, (208) 475-0725, info@boiserm.org, 869 W. Corporate Ln.

Nampa, ID 83651

The Lighthouse (Adult men): BoiseRM.org, (208) 461-5030, info@boiserm.org, 304 16th Ave North

Nampa, ID 83687

Bus Passes:

Cathedral of the Rockies: (208) 343-7511, 717 11th St, Boise, ID 83702. Offers a single 24-dollar bus pass or two 12-dollar bus passes which can be collected every 2 months. Offered on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Sign-up starts at 1:30 p.m. Must have photo ID to collect.

St. Mark’s Catholic Church: (208) 375-6651, 7960 W Northview St, Boise, ID 83704. Offers a single-day bus pass every 6 weeks.

Terry Reilly Health Center: (208) 344-3512, 300 S 23rd St, Boise, ID 83702. Offers a single-day bus pass to help patients get home after appointments.

St. John’s Cathedral: (208) 342-3511, 807 N 8th St, Boise, ID 83702. Offers two single-day bus passes per month.

Maximus: (208) 376-1006, 1435 N Orchard St, Boise, ID 83706. Offers a 30-day bus pass after receiving a referral from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Free Meals (Boise):

Cathedral of the Rockies: (208) 343-7511, 717 11th St, Boise, ID 83702. Sack Lunch: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. daily. Friendship Feast: 1:00 p.m. Sunday. Dinner: 6:00 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Corpus Christi House: (208) 658-8800, 525 S Americana Blvd, Boise, ID 83702. 9:00 a.m. daily.

St. Michael’s Cathedral: (208) 342-5601, 518 N 8th St, Boise, ID 83702. Snack: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Lunch: 12:00 p.m. on the last Saturday of the month.

King of Glory Lutheran Church: (208) 377-0220, 3430 N Maple Grove Rd, Boise, ID 83704. Lunch: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of the month.

Vineyard Christian Fellowship: (208) 377-1477. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sundays at Julia Davis park near the tennis courts.

St. John’s Cathedral: (208) 342-3511, 807 N 8th St, Boise, ID 83702. Dinner: 6:00 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of the month.

Immanuel Lutheran Church: (208) 344-3011, 707 Fort St, Boise, ID 83702. 5:00 p.m. Tuesdays.

First Presbyterian Church: (208) 345-3441, 950 W State St, Boise, ID 83702. Dinner: 6:00 p.m. on the first and last Thursday of the month.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church: (208) 344-8311, 811 S Latah St, Boise, ID 83705. Dinner: 6:00 p.m. on the 2nd Friday of the month.

All Saints Episcopal Church: (208) 344-2537, 704 S Latah St, Boise, ID 83705. Dinner: 6:00 p.m. on the 1st Friday of the month.

St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry – Overland: (208) 333-1460, 3209 W Overland Rd, Boise, ID 83705. Food pantry open on every Tuesday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.