For many students across the country, school is a home away from home. But a new school in Camden may be students' only home.

On Jan. 27, Camden Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard announced plans for a residential privately-run public school that would house and educate homeless and at-risk youth in the city. 

At the same time, the district plans to build a new school and renovate six others as part of New Jersey's Urban Hope Act, legislation that clears a path for privately-run public schools to open with money from the district. Rouhanifard's plan did not include whether or not district-run public schools would close and if the city would cut staff to fund new developments.

The new residential school may likely be run by the SEED Foundation, which operates similar schools on the East Coast and applied to operate the new school in Camden. 

More than one in three Camden residents lives below the poverty line, according to the Census. Because low-income students have fewer resources to adequately focus on their learning, poverty has been found to be one of the largest barriers to a child's education and future opportunities.