New safe haven for students experiencing homelessness developed at Reading High School
READING, Pa. - A new safe haven is available for students experiencing homelessness or unstable housing at Reading High School.
This week there was a ribbon cutting for the brand-new Knight’s Keep.
Open on school days between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., the space offers laundry machines, showers, a common area filled with game systems, board games and a TV, a study area and a kitchen to grab a meal, snack or beverage.
"We are really looking out for the most vulnerable kids here in the district," said Wayne Gehris, Chief Financial Officer of the Reading School District. "When they’re trying to address the needs that they have whether or not they have a place to sleep, take a shower, make a meal they really don’t get the opportunity to be who they are, and we want to be able to bring that sense of childhood back to them. We’re hoping to restore dignity and give them a sense of home which is really what this place is like."
The district said about 175 high school students were experiencing some level of homelessness in the 2023-24 school year.
The Knight’s Keep will be staffed with counselors and social workers to ensure students are fully supported with the resources they need.
"People who are involved in this project are proud of those students, we’re proud of their resiliency,,, we’re proud of the fact that they speak up and let us know that they have needs," said Anne Fisher, Director of Student Services at the Reading School District. "We reduce the stigma of what that may seem like for them so they can be like their peers and not have to worry about one more thing so they can be academically successful and emotionally prepared."
Gehris said the project cost about half a million dollars and the district utilized Covid Relief funding identified for children and youth experiencing homelessness.
If you’d like to show your support, you can donate food and various clothing items to the Knight’s Closet or make a financial contribution to the Reading School District ear marked for the Knight’s Keep.