ED.2 — JUN 2026

 
 

REDEFINING THE POSSIBLE

  
AJ Jefferson, President & CEO
 
Momentum & Mission

Billions of dollars are spent every year addressing youth homelessness. Yet phones at places like Homeless Children's Education Fund (HCEF) ring every day from callers looking for assistance. The problem is not money.

 

Blind Spots

There's a teenager named Miley who gets out of sorts when she's reading and comes across Bs and Ds. And not only is she overcoming dyslexia, the 17-year-old more than once has had to recalibrate after changing addresses. Sometimes she was staying with her grandma. Other times she lived with her aunt. It's just Miley and her mom now. Those address changes meant switching schools and the hard job of being the new kid on campus trying to make friends.

 

HCEF authors launching Echoes of Brilliance during gala

Some stories are too important to stay unheard.

 

This June, young people from Homeless Children's Education Fund will take their place at The I AM Gala presented by Dollar Bank not just as students or participants...

 

...but as authors.

  
HCEF Employer Advisory Council

Redefining workforce pathways

Workforce development cannot begin at the interview stage.

 

For young people navigating homelessness and housing instability, it starts much earlier with exposure, relationships, mentorship, and access to environments where opportunity feels real. 

inspire change

HCEF youth proves seeing is believing, belonging

There Donnie Washington was chatting it up with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

 

The commissioner was in town for the league's draft. Donnie, 18, got access after Homeless Children's Education Fund (HCEF) huddled with the NFL's Inspire Change social justice initiative. 

School shouldn’t be the hardest part of a child’s day

School is hard. School without a bed at night, food in your belly, or transportation to school is nearly impossible. 

That’s the reality for thousands of children in Allegheny County. 
More than 3,600 students are experiencing homelessness. HCEF is walking alongside 1,100, but more keep reaching out for help. The need isn’t slowing. Our students can’t wait.

A warm meal shouldn’t determine whether a child can focus. 

A bus pass shouldn’t be the difference between graduating or giving up. 
A lack of stability shouldn’t silence potential.

With your support, HCEF provides tutoring, transportation, emergency supplies, college readiness, and the steady encouragement every young person deserves. But to meet the urgency of this moment, we need to raise $50,000.

Your gift becomes a lifeline in a child’s day and a reminder that their future still matters.

 

Sustain the Momentum

Help sustain the momentum that supports children experiencing homelessness.

 
 

Our newly imagined newsletter from the Homeless Children’s Education Fund.

This isn’t just a name change—it’s a reflection of who we’ve become. We’ve shifted from a small nonprofit with a big heart to a regional force driving systems of change for students experiencing homelessness. As we grow in size, scope, and strategy, this space will bring you deeper into the journey: the models we’re building, the voices we’re lifting, and the futures we are fighting for. We’re not chasing what's probable—we’re redefining what’s possible.

 

Homeless Children's Education Fund  —  Cardello Building, 1501 Reedsdale Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh PA, 15233

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