MACON, Ga. — Around 600 students in Bibb County schools are experiencing homelessness. They live in hotels, shelters or with a foster care family.
Danielle Jones, a homeless and foster care liaison with the Bibb County School District, has been with the district for almost 25 years..
At the core, Jones works at bridging the gap between schools and homeless students.
"It's just amazing to see the progress that the students make," Jones said.
Jones says her students have a special place in her heart, and she wants to be a reliable source in their lives.
In her role, she helps support students facing housing issues by offering additional support. They help with attendance, tutoring and offer other resources, too
But Jones has worn many hats during her time in the Bibb County School District.
She's been a teacher, assistant principal, school counselor and behavior specialist.
But for seven years, she's been their homeless and foster care liaison.
"A lot of times, students experiencing homelessness or students in foster care become the forgotten population, and so it's important to have someone advocating for these students," Jones said.
Day to day, Jones says she does everything from checking attendance and grades to providing housing resources and even school uniforms.
"I try to make sure that any academic support that they need, that I can provide that support for them. And a lot of the time, [it's] going into schools, it's just spot-checking. You know like... 'Hey! How are you doing? Do you need anything?' Because I want to make sure that they know that I'm here for them, I'm supporting them, and if they need anything, I'm not miles away," Jones said.
Central High School's graduation coach Charrissa Corbin works with Jones and said these students aren't separated from their classmates. They just have frequent check-ins and goals throughout their four years.
"Social media and things like that, you can become distracted, so it's helping kids like, if I'm gonna follow the entrepreneur track, if I'm gonna be enlisted, enrolled, what's my steps that I want and how to get me there," Corbin said.
At the end of the day, it is all about getting students facing obstacles to achieve their goals, Jones said.
"My overall purpose is to make sure that the students are prepared for post-secondary options and life," Jones said.
In November, their national conference the "National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth" honored Jones with a lifetime achievement award.
She said, for an educator in her field, it was like winning an Oscar!