When Kids’ Biggest Worry is Home
When Kids’ Biggest Worry is Home
Trina Kasper, a social worker and Families in Transition Liaison at Owatonna Public Schools
For some students in Owatonna’s school district, a pop quiz isn’t the most stressful experience of their day. It’s hard to pay attention in class when you have no place to live.
Worry, anxiety, and stress may have little to do with typical school problems like getting to class on time, passing their chapter test, or asking someone to the school dance. For some K-12 students, their biggest worry is where their home will be for the next 24 hours.
Trina Kasper, a social worker and Families in Transition Liaison at Owatonna Public Schools, works with students and their families struggling to find stable and affordable housing and other foundational needs. Trina says, “The high number of such families in the surrounding area might surprise you. Most people are quiet about their troubling conditions.”
“Nobody plans to be in a homeless situation. A variety of circumstances can lead people into housing insecurity, and many of those factors are outside their control. While these seem like “adult problems”, kids notice. As their parents and guardians try their best to maintain a stable environment, kids observe and absorb that stress and anxiety. Inevitably, worry spreads to their own daily lives.”
When moms or dads, grandparents, or students themselves, first connect with Trina, they are often in crisis mode, dazed by their new reality. Finding shelter on short notice can be difficult, especially for families who want to stay together – and splitting up families across housing options can add stress for both children and adults.
Safe and stable housing is just the beginning. Social workers like Trina provide families with school-age children steady support to navigate the many agencies and wrap-around services. It’s a relief to know that someone can guide the next steps, make a referral, or find the answers together.
No single agency is able to fully serve a family. When each support service provider can be true to their own purpose, they can do their best work. Collaboration is essential. That’s why Trina is so excited about the plans for renovating space at Oak Hill Community Connections. With a warm hand-off of a family to a partnering agency, she’ll know individuals and families will have access to multiple services they’ll need to get back on their feet. This support will allow Trina to focus on providing support in the school setting, and the students she works with can get back to more typical childhood worries—like who to play with at recess and studying for the next science test.
Oak Hill Community Connections will provide space in one building for service agencies to eliminate the some of the most common barriers for clients: access and transportation. Making multiple services available in a single location reduces burdens of time and travel for clients and elevates collaboration between service providers. The new agency hub will ensure that people seeking support services are better connected to a continuum of agencies for help. It’s about building a stronger community together – and that is something we can all support.