Update: Wednesday, October 28th, 7:20 p.m.

If you are interested in donating items to the homeless or are interested in sponsoring a family for Christmas, here are some resources to contact:

Zola Works- The Bolton Refuge (834-0628)
Amy Giani- The Beacon House (834-4357)
Karen Smith- Western Dairyland Homeless Havens (836-7511 ext. 150)
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The face of homelessness in Eau Claire is often hidden from the public, but the homeless program coordinator for Eau Claire Schools says that doesn't mean it isn't there.

In fact the number of homeless students is on the rise, there are 50 percent more homeless students this year than last year in Eau Claire Schools.

Judy Basacker is not one to be negative in life; but she's dealing with terminal bone cancer, had a struggle with breast cancer, and lost her daughter a year ago. Judy says she had a tough time holding on after another blow, her husband left her last winter.

She says, “We were in this big old house with a lot of bills we had to take care of, and I couldn't take care of all the bills and the mortgage.”

Judy and her granddaughter Chynalee lost the house, and most of what went with it. She says, “We lost the home, we lost her dog, she lost her cat, which was sad because she had that cat ever since she was two years old.”

Their saving grace? Bolton Refuge House, and the Eau Claire School's Homeless Program which kept Chynalee in her same elementary school.

Homeless Program Coordinator Danielle Claesges says there are 102 homeless students in the Eau Claire School District this year, compared to 68 last year, and just 56 the year before.

She says the program is vital to how a student does in school, “It's shown that when a student switches schools, they lose an average of half a year of schooling, so it's very important that a student stays in their own school.”

Claesges says homelessness is not confined to the stereotype most people have in their head, “Homelessness can be a job that makes $60,000 a year and all of a sudden they go to nothing and maybe they didn't put things a side, or maybe medical issues came up, but anybody can become homeless.”

And as Judy has shown, anyone can overcome it, “So we lost an awful lot of things, but we’re not looking at the back, were looking forward, and getting things better for ourselves.”

Judy says she and her granddaughter are just trying to focus on living for today and are not sure what the future will bring.

As for the other homeless students, they are living in shelters in the area and the homeless coordinator says some of the students are even living in cars with their parents or in campers.