Amy Riccio, who helps students experiencing homelessness, displays a birthday gift for one of the 350 young people in Moorhead Public Schools who are experiencing homelessness. (Photos/Nancy Hanson.)
Food is a priority of the schools’ services for students experiencing homelessness. These prepacked bags of groceries are given to young people who are currently attending school.
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
When the school day ends, a torrent of young Spuds heads out the doors of every school in Moorhead. Most head home to families, supper and homework. But for almost 5 percent – nearly one in 20 of the district’s 7,400 students — it’s a different story: They have no homes to go home to.
About 350 boys and girls enrolled in local elementary, middle and high schools are classified as experiencing homelessness. That’s according to Amy Riccio, who has been designated as the local district’s transitional student support specialist, its liaison with students who are homeless.
“Don’t call them ‘homeless students,’” the social worker cautions. “I work with ‘students who are experiencing homelessness.’ That’s different. It doesn’t label them forever. This is temporary … and the solution is getting an education.”
Amy’s job, she says, is to make sure students without permanent homes feel that they belong somewhere – that their school and this community value them and care about them. She coordinates the district’s services for this special segment of its enrollment, particularly those who are living on their own. When the district hired her as its first full-time liaison in 2020, she says, 24 of the 170 identified as homeless were unaccompanied – that is, living without the care of parents or guardians. Last year, 85 of the 350 who were by then defined as homeless were unaccompanied.
Offering special help to support these students is nothing new. It goes back nearly 40 years, when the McKenney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act mandated that schools receiving federal funds enroll and offer outreach, resources and other activities to support students experiencing homelessness.
Amy coordinates the district’s services from an office in the Moorhead Career Academy. She works with social workers stationed in all the district’s schools who identify young people who qualify for them. “They don’t come up and tell us they are homeless,” she says. Instead, the network of specialists watches for telltale clues like missing school, arriving through different kinds of transportation, and falling asleep in class.
Where to begin? Amy says she’s been guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a theory suggests that individuals must satisfy lower-level needs, such as food and safety, before they can focus on higher-level needs like love, esteem, and fulfilling their full potential. The challenge of supporting the kids may seem endless, and beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t make it easier.
“It was like a mouse nibbling a cookie. We started by taking small bites,” she reflects with a smile. “The most obvious need was food, so we started there.”
In year one, that was the schools’ food pantry. Today the room dubbed Carmen’s Corner (in honor of the late paraprofessional who left funds in a bequest) is stocked with shelf-stable foods from the Great Plains Food Bank along with donations from other sources in the community. Among its inventory: Frozen hot dish portions prepared by a Lutheran women’s group, for example, and outdated but wholesome produce an meat removed from supermarket shelves. There, student volunteers from Key Club and the Career Academypre-pack tote bags that students can take home for when schools – with their free breakfasts and lunches – are not in session.
The area also houses a washer and dryer where unhoused students can wash their clothes and a full bathroom where they can shower.
The Clothing Pantry was added the next year. Also housed at the Career Academy, it’s basically a free thrift shop for those who are homeless. Racks are lined with donated garments sized to fit every age, from kindergarten to adulthood. Donations of clothing and shoes are sorted and displayed by a nearly full-time volunteer. “She’s like a personal shopper when students come in,” Amy says, “helping them find what they need.”
With winter coming on, she points out, coats and snow pants are needed, especially for younger kids. “Without that gear, they can’t go out for recess,” she observes. “If we can outfit them, they won’t stand out from their classmates.” The same reasoning underlies the selection of black and orange Spuds gear. “It seems like our schools have Spud days every few weeks,” she explains. “With these shirts, they can fit right in.”
During Year Three, AmeriCorps volunteers joined the schools’ efforts. Under the banner of Heading Home Minnesota, three college-age work with families experiencing homelessness to increase the number of young people staying in school through graduation. The results are clear. During the previous year, fewer than 20% graduated from high school. During the 2024-25 school year, more than 50% achieved that goal.
The next focus: Therapy. The schools already partnered with Solutions and Lakeland Mental Health, she says, but the waiting lists were long. “We’ve recognized that these kids experience high levels of trauma and adversity in their lives,” the social workers emphasizes. That led to engaging two therapists from Ellie Mental Health to work exclusively with them. Last year, 85 students met weekly with the therapists, including over the summer. They also work closely with Family Healthcare, which operates a clinic for students and families at the Career Academy.
Amy credits an open-hearted community for making these services possible. “The school district’s budget can’t pay for these things. The system’s hands are tied. When I need something, I don’t have time to wait around – the student’s need is now, and I have to find a way around the barrier. That’s where good people come in.”
One of those sources is Matthew’s Voice, a local nonprofit that comes through with funding for many one-of-a-kind needs. Another is Sharing Our Smiles, which underwrites personal birthday celebrations for unaccompanied students, from cakes and balloons to surprise gifts from their personal wish lists.
As the homeless liaison, Amy is tireless in telling the story of the youth whom she and her network serve. That has led to regular support from some of the groups she has visited – Trinity Lutheran of Sabin, for example, that organized the pantry and pays much of the cost of getting drivers’ licenses; and the Gateway Kiwanis, who donate to the program each month.
All of these services have only one requirement: The student receiving them must be attending school. “Education is the solution. Getting that diploma is the key to a better future,” Amy asserts.
“We do everything we can to surround these young people with a sense of belonging in a community that shows its love for them. Their present situation is not their fault. Their futures can be whatever they make them.
“We have a lovely community. With our help, these young people can achieve the bright futures every one of them deserves.”
For more information on Moorhead schools’ programs for homeless youth, including current needs and opportunities for support, email Amy, ariccio@moorheadschools.org, or call her at 218-284-2218.
