Erase Homelessness

Use bold colors to make a statement as strong as the walls needed to house the homeless! Help erase one of the challenges facing all of us today.

• 1.

  Can you imagine not having a home? In the United States alone, there are more than one million children who are homeless each year. Not all homeless people live in shelters (many rural areas don’t have shelters). Lots of homeless people live in crowded spaces with family and friends.

• 2.

  Continue learning about homelessness. How can people work together to find homes for families without their own places to go? Start a lively class discussion about the challenges people face.

• 3.

  On paper, draw your ideas to erase homelessness with Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils. You might be inspired by Habitat for Humanity and draw volunteers raising a shelter with a homeless person. Use the eraser to create depth and structure in your presentation.

• 4.

  Place the paper on a rough surface. Rub the background with Crayola Twistables to add the look of wood or other textures to your poster. Outline the poster with a colorful border, such as carpentry tools. How can you share your concerns with others in your community? Post your poster for a start!

Benefits

• Students research the plight of homeless individuals and families, locally, within their country, or elsewhere.
• Students problem-solve ideas to help alleviate homelessness.
• Students dramatically illustrate their solutions to the problem of homelessness.

Adaptations

• To introduce the topic to younger children or those with special needs, read a book or newspaper articles about homeless families. If possible, visit a homeless shelter in your community.
• Find out about Habitat for Humanity. How did it start? How does it work? Learn about the difference it has made in the last 25 years by creating permanent housing for more than 900,000 people around the world. Invite a local HH representative to speak at
• Research how groups such as the National Coalition for the Homeless and other agencies collect statistics. Compare figures from government and nonprofit organizations. Why is it so difficult to count people who are homeless? How do these issues affect the search for solutions?
• Interview staff and residents at a local homeless program to see what is really needed to help make residents’ stays more positive experiences. Ideas could range from a food drive at a nontraditional time of the year to leading a weekly story and craft time with the shelter’s families.
• Assessment: How original and practical are student solutions? How well are they communicated by the poster?