Northborough Sees Influx of Homeless Students

There are 27 school-age homeless children temporarily residing at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites in Northborough, about half of whom are attending Northborough schools, school officials say.

There are 15 rooms "designated as state-sponsored housing" at the hotel, on Southwest Cutoff, and there are plans to increase to 30 rooms within a few weeks, School Superintendent Dr. Charles Gobron told the Northborough School Committee on Wednesday night.

"Some students are being transported back to the schools they had been attending before they came to the Econo Lodge," while the others are attending the Northborough schools, Gobron said.

Director of Special Education/Student Support Services Barbara Goodman said that funding for a state program "designed to help families obtain and sustain housing" ended on June 30, and "6,000 people were left without housing as a result of that."

"When the school year opened, families were assigned to various temporary housing locations across the state," Goodman said. 
 
The number of affected students is "continually changing," she said.

As of Wednesday, there were 27 children living at the Econo Lodge, about half of whom are at the elementary, middle and high schools, she said.

Students still attending their former schools are traveling "farther distances than they have in the past," Goodman said, in some cases "an hour and a half away."

Gobron and Goodman praised Northborough school and community members for assisting these families.

"The outreach to these families from the citizens of Northborough has been wonderful," Gobron said.