TPS Outreach Center provides resources to students, families in need

Oct. 1—Poverty rates have risen in Oklahoma and a local outreach center is working to help students and families in need of resources.

On Sept. 15, the U.S. Census Bureau released new data from its 2021 American Community Survey showing Oklahoma has the 10th highest rate of poverty in the United States. This rate rose in 2021 to 15.6 percent from 15.2 percent in 2019.

The data also shows that over one in five children live in poverty in Oklahoma.

In Tahlequah, there are resources available to assist children and their families needing an extra hand, like the Tahlequah Public Schools Outreach Center.

TPS Family and Community Engagement Director Nikki Molloy said the center started with just one person and has grown slowly every year since.

"Our mission for Tahlequah Public Schools is Tigers ROAR — removing obstacles to achieve results," said Molloy. "So our main focus is connecting our families with resources within the community. It's not always resources we have here, but we make those connections "

Molloy said TPS does have resources on site.

"We have our Free and Reduced Lunch Program. We also have a food pantry at the high school that is available for all families in Cherokee County," she said.

At the Outreach Center, Molloy said they have a small food pantry, the Backpack Program and a clothing closet.

"We have a washer and dryer here if we have any families that are staying at a hotel, motel or don't have access to running water," she said. "For whatever reason — or for whatever amount of time — we can help with those services."

TPS students are referred to the center through care teams.

"Each site does a care team and it consists of the the school nurse, the [School Resource Officer], principals, and counselors," said Molloy. "So anytime a teacher has a student in class where there might be a concern that they have academic needs, attendance needs hygiene needs, or family might just be dealing with a difficult situation or counseling needs — that all runs through the care teams.

Molloy explained someone from the outreach center sits in on the care teams at each site.

"If there's a referral and it's a need that we can meet here — which would be food pantry, backpack program, counseling referrals, clothing closet medical appointments," she said. "We can help get bus vouchers if they don't have transportation, and we can also help families enroll for SNAP and other government assistance."

Molloy said there are three on staff at the outreach center that are certified to do the SNAP application.

Molloy is also the district's Homeless Liaison and said students can also qualify for Outreach Center services through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Program. The Oklahoma State Department of Education states this program is meant "to address the problems that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school."

Molloy said staff have recently started moving things from the outreach center over to the old Central Building where there is more room to house items. It's "not perfect yet" and work is still being done on the space but it currently has a rooms with clothing donations, take-home food and one with items funded by the National Indian Impacted Schools Association 2021 Stepping Stones Grant.

This room has supplies for students dealing with housing issues, providing bags, toys, books by Native authors, blankets, toiletries, inflatable pillows, and more. Molloy said School Social Services specialist Sara Jordan wrote and received the NIISA grant for TPS.