The San Diego County Office of Education’s Foster Youth and Homeless Education Services has launched its first Sock Drive to help provide homeless youths this clothing item.
The homeless student population in San Diego County is 22,000, officials say. Most are students who are homeless with their families, but an estimated 800 to 1,000 are unaccompanied adolescents, meaning they are on the streets and unsheltered without family.
“We really wanted to raise awareness about this population,” said Kymm Wolfe, a Homeless Education program aide. “It’s a fairly large population that’s out on the street unsheltered that we’re serving.”
The Sock Drive ends Nov. 19 with a screening of “The Homestretch,” a documentary that follows three Chicago-area homeless youths.
The events are being held for Runaway and Homeless Youth Month, which is recognized nationally in November. The San Diego County Board of Education at its October meeting passed a resolution recognizing Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.
The socks will be distributed by three groups that serve this population: Stand-Up for Kids, The Storefront and SDCOE’s own Monarch School.
The greatest need is for socks in young men’s and women’s sizes, because the majority of unaccompanied youths are ages 14 and older, organizers say.
“Socks are something that are always needed for homeless youth,” said Susie Terry, SDCOE homeless liaison. “When I volunteered at Stand-Up for Kids, that’s what kids always wanted.”
Donations from the public are welcome, Terry said, adding that schools, businesses, and community groups may set up sock collections, too.
“The Homestretch” screening is open to the community, and the SDCOE team members hope to shed light on this population of homeless youths.
Collection bins for new socks are in Room 404 on the main SDCOE campus, 6401 Linda Vista Road, and at the Foster Youth and Homeless Education Services office, 3878 Old Town Ave., Suite 200.
“The Homestretch” screening is at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at SDCOE’s Joe Rindone Regional Technology Center on the Linda Vista campus. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. There is no cost to attend, but registration is requested, and attendees are encouraged to bring a donation of a new pair of socks.
