A Davenport 17-year-old whose name we won't use says he's been homeless since August. "I really wasn't worried about school," he admits. "I was worried about finding someplace warm to sleep, food to sleep, and stuff like that." He says his home life was so bad, he's better off living on the streets, even sleeping outdoors. "Sometimes in the park, sometimes by the RR tracks, sometimes I'd go to my aunt's apartment building and sleep on the steps." Last winter, after a snowfall, he says he built an igloo and slept inside that. "Sometimes I'd have a blanket and sometimes I didn't."

     This high schooler is now one of 224 identified homeless students in Davenport, up from 147 a year ago, kids either sleeping outdoors or living in some kind of temporary arrangement. Their numbers have been growing since the economy turned.

     The QCA has no formal agency to help these kids, yet this teenager now has food stamps, basic medical coverage, and, to help land a job, clothing and even a temporary cell phone. Items all cobbled together using school resources, grant money, and help from a community-based group.  It was enough to make this teenager want to send a message to other homeless teenagers: "If they just stay on the streets, they're really not going to get any help. If they do want help, they can go to school."