LYNN — The Lynn Continuum of Care (LCOC) is accepting applications for its annual scholarship program, the recipient of which will receive $1,000 to use toward the costs of college.
LCOC, a consortium of organizations united under a shared goal of ending homelessness in the city, has, in previous years, sent out two $500 scholarship applications. This year, the group is looking to award one $1,000 scholarship to an eligible Lynn high school student who plans on continuing his or her education after high school.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a Lynn high school senior must either be homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Homelessness is defined as lacking fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residences; sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar circumstances; or living in a residence that is not ordinarily used for sleeping accommodations.
Additionally, those who are at risk of homelessness, or have at one point met the homelessness criteria, qualify for the scholarship.
Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development (LHAND) Housing Stability Programs Coordinator Danielle Hoyt helped coordinate the scholarship and secure fund through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUDD).
Hoyt is the mother of a Lynn high school senior. She said that the process of sending a student to college is financially stressful enough for families who are in a strong financial standing, let alone those struggling to make ends meet.
“I can’t imagine worrying about the roof over our head, where our next meal is coming from, or any of those things with my children and trying to support them through this process,” Hoyt said.
She added that while the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) assists students with college costs, every source of funding helps.
“There are a lot more expenses other than tuition and books, and there’s meal plans and dorms and the things that you need to plan for, and there’s never enough funding, and especially for people with limited means,” she said.
Applicants must request an application by email at [email protected].
The application must be returned by February 24, 2023, to:
Danielle Hoyt
39 Curwin Terrace
Lynn, MA 01905
or via email to [email protected].
The scholarship will be presented at the annual meeting of the Lynn Continuum of Care on June 15.
