UHV to host second symposium on homelessness
Editor's Note: Due to speaker cancellations, the Homeless Symposium is being rescheduled.
The University of Houston-Victoria School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development will host a second symposium on homelessness to help provide more information on the topic for community members.
The Homeless Symposium will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 10 in the UHV University North Walker Auditorium, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The event is free and open to the public.
“Homelessness continues to be an issue that affects communities everywhere,” said Fred Litton, dean of the school. “By continuing this discussion, we keep homelessness on the forefront of our community conversation on how to help address the issue and better understand those affected by homelessness.”
Paul Carlson, UHV professor of education and one of the symposium coordinators, said he was gratified to see so many community members at the 2019 symposium and that many in the community are interested in solutions for homelessness. He hopes that even more will attend this year to learn more about the issue.
“We recognize there are components of homelessness that make the situation complicated, such as inadequate housing and income,” Carlson said. “There are challenges of health as well as criminal justice components to the issue of homelessness.”
The goal for this year’s symposium is to make clear connections between homelessness and the components of affordable housing, income, health, school and criminal justice. There will be speakers who will talk about these topics and a panel discussion.
Yvonne Rossman, family and KIDZconnection coordinator for the Victoria Independent School District, will return as a panelist for the symposium. Rossman has been working with homeless students in the Victoria school district for the past nine years.
Rossman plans to speak about how future educators can support homeless students in the classroom. She also will answer questions about homelessness and red flags to look for in the classroom.
“Our goal is always to inform the community and future educators about the different types of students they will have in their classrooms and how to support them,” Rossman said. “I think anytime there is a lot of conversation on the topic of homelessness, you want to hear from the agencies that have hands-on experience with students and families and what we hear and see from the families we work with.”
For more information about the Homeless Symposium, contact Carlson at carlsonp@uhv.edu or 361-570-4189.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
