Birmingham City Leaders Announce Every Day Counts Initiative to Address Absenteeism Amongst Public Housing Residents
BIRMINGHAM, AL – Today, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) announced a new initiative in partnership the City of Birmingham (COB) and Birmingham City Schools (BCS) to combat truancy. The partnership comes after BCS reported in October 2023 that nearly 25% of students are chronically absent.
Every Day Counts will aim to incentivize public housing residents to ensure school-aged children attend school regularly. Regular school attendance of school-aged children is a requirement of HABD lease agreements and state law. Through the Every Day Counts initiative, HABD public housing residents will have access to additional resources that support regular attendance and improved literacy, like transportation assistance to and from school and homework help. Additionally, and probably most compelling, as part of Every Day Counts, HABD households whose school-aged children achieve perfect attendance for the month will be entered into a raffle where an HABD household(s) will be chosen to receive financial support toward a housing expense.
Attendance of HABD school-aged residents will be tracked and monitored as part of a new data sharing agreement between HABD and BCS. There is no set timeframe for how long the initiative will be in place, and Birmingham leaders are hopeful that it will have a positive impact on school attendance rates.
HABD President and CEO Dontrelle Young Foster
“While we know families in public housing face a number of challenges, we’ve seen regular school attendance become an alarmingly growing challenge amongst our households. The concept of Every Day Counts is something we’ve never done before, but an incentive I believe is necessary to tackle the issue at hand. Failing to attend school regularly negatively impacts the entire child, so if we can do something to support our residents and improve attendance rates – we will.”
Mayor Randall Woodfin
“Regular school attendance allows our young people to build a solid foundation for their education. Missing day after day of instruction pokes holes in that foundation. That hurts the child, not just today, but impacts their future. It is my hope that this initiative will rally our parents, neighbors, and educators so that we can make sure our children are present and supported to fully engage intheir education. It is imperative that our community understands that every day counts.”
Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan
“Regular and consistent school attendance is crucial to academic success. We know that our scholars learn best when they have quality, in-person instruction and learning opportunities. Our educators look forward to working with students every day to ensure their success.”
Every Day Counts officially launches February 1, 2024. HABD residents are encouraged to contact their Community Center or visit habd.org for more information.
