Local lawmaker supports bill to waive GED fee for homeless teens
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- State Senator Mark Leno visited San Francisco's Larkin Street Youth Services to present a bill that would let homeless youth take the high school equivalency exam for free.
The test itself costs about $150 to take, which is a big burden for homeless teens.
Shahera Hyatt with the California Homeless Youth Project came up with the idea while talking to homeless teens.
"And I asked, 'Is this something that resonates with you?' And everybody was nodding yes. And most of them acknowledged, they don't have money for food on a day to day basis, let alone money to take this exam," Hyatt said.
Young people would have to have their housing status verified to waive the GED exam fee.
About $70,000 California high schools students were homeless during the 2012-2013 school year. The drop-out rate among these students is close to 75 percent.
