KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
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Avenue of Life, in Kansas City, is one of the organizations that could be impacted by Trump's decision to pause federal grants.
The organization says it still doesn't have enough details at this time to make an official statement about the extension of the impact.
Avenue of Life has been helping hundreds of families in the Kansas City area for 10 years. Jalisa Bennett is one of the mothers supported by the initiative.
The summer of 2024 is one she won't forget.
"I cried a lot of nights. Probably even a lot of mornings," Bennett said, remembering the time when she was living in a car with her two kids. "It's scary. It's dangerous."
Bennett fled Alabama because of domestic violence and she moved to Kansas City.
"It's tough. Seeing my children, you know, it kind of motivated me to find something better," Bennett said.
Motivation also came from the local nonprofit. Avenue of Life helps families with school-aged kids dealing with homelessness.
"Homelessness impacts the kids' capacity to be educated, to focus in class, and to build those relationships," said Cameron Erlandson, chief communications officer for Avenue of Life.
Erlandson knows firsthand how homelessness can impact young children.
"When I was nine, my family became homeless," Erlandson said. "It's a unique fear, and there's a unique shame that you can't really describe as a child, but you know it's there."
As an adult, he knows how to describe those feelings. He also has resources to help families in the same situation he once found himself in.
"We're making sure that we're providing for them, not only through opportunities like financial assistance but also through education," Erlandson said.
Bennett spoke on the impact the organization has had on it.
"They've helped me, you know, with learning how to budget my money and make sure I save," she said. "They've helped me with getting my house."
It takes a lot of work and about $4,000 to get a family to a point of stable, self-sufficient housing — an investment Cameron believes goes a long way.
"We want to break the cycle of poverty. When we serve a family, we're helping two generations get out of that cycle," Erlandson said.
For Bennett, the organization was the answer to her prayers, and the assurance of better days ahead.
"There's hope. There is help out here for us," Bennett said.
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