Houston ISD holds phone bank event to improve retention and boost graduation rates

Houston Independent School District's Sunrise Centers collaborated with the Astros Foundation for the District’s fourth annual Phone Bank event on June 18. The goal was to reach out to students who have either dropped out of school or not registered for the new school year and inform them of the options and resources available to help on their path to high school graduation.

Sunrise Centers are a recent initiative of Houston ISD, created with a mission to establish dynamic service hubs strategically located in community spaces, for HISD students and their families to access social service support including medical care, mental health care, case management, clothes/uniforms, food pantries and markets, and student and parent enrichment.

This year, the Phone Bank volunteers concentrated their efforts on homeless students and students in foster care, some of HISD’s most vulnerable demographics, and informed them of the resources available to them at the District’s seven Sunrise Center locations, as well as on-campus support at their schools.

Volunteers set up a command center at Minute Maid Park with the space and phones provided by the Astros Foundation. The Astros Foundation works regularly with HISD in support of various educational and literacy programs and collaborates with many local businesses and organizations in efforts to reduce homelessness. 

Homeless students are 87% less likely to complete their secondary education than their housed peers. The Sunrise Centers work to fight this troubling statistic by providing services such as medical and mental healthcare, shelf-stable food pantries, clothing, and even case management for students and their families.

“The Astros Foundation has been a true champion for our students, supporting our Sunrise team in re-engaging our most vulnerable population,” says Melanie Martinez, Sunrise Centers Director. “We appreciate their support and dedication to HISD students.”

The Phone Bank exists to help students get back on track, whether they are in need of support services, help with re-enrollment, or even assistance finding alternative education opportunities. The 2024 Phone Bank volunteers made more than 260 phone calls to homeless and foster care students to help guide them toward re-enrollment.