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Working with Homeless Students

Working with Homeless Students. National Center for Homeless Education Jan Moore. www.serve.org/nche. Working with Homeless Students. National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE). www.serve.org/nche. Working with Homeless Students.

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Working with Homeless Students

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  1. Working with Homeless Students National Center for Homeless Education Jan Moore www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students

  2. National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • Operates U.S. Department of Education’s homeless education technical assistance and information center • NCHE provides • Comprehensive website: www.serve.org/nche • Helpline: Call 800-308-2145 or e-mail homeless@serve.org • Free products and publications: Visitwww.serve.org/nche/products.php

  3. McKinney-Vento Definition of Homeless www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • A homeless child or youth lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence: • Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason (doubled-up) • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Awaiting foster care placement • Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live • Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, etc. • Migratory children living in above circumstances • Unaccompanied youth who are living in the above circumstances

  4. Awaiting Foster Care • No federal guidance on definition of the term • States interpret in various ways • Some have policies to clarify when children and youth in child welfare custody are eligible for McKinney-Vento services • Some have state laws and policies that provide foster children and youth with rights similar to what McKinney-Vento provides homeless students

  5. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • An unaccompanied homeless youth is • living in a situation that meets the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless • NOT in the physical custody of a parent or guardian (definition of “unaccompanied youth”) • No age limit • No citizenship requirement (Plyler v. Doe)

  6. Paths to Being “On Your Own” www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students Longstanding patterns of family conflict: blended family issues, sexual activity, pregnancy, sexual orientation, school problems, alcohol/drug use Parental incarceration or substance abuse Abused and/or neglected, but not taken into child welfare custody Foster care issues: running away from a placement; aging out of the system

  7. McKinney-Vento Educational Rights www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • Unaccompanied homeless youth and those awaiting a foster care placement have the same rights under the McKinney-Vento Act as other eligible children and youth • Immediate enrollment, even when lacking records • Attend either the school of origin, if feasible, or the local school • Receive transportation to the school of origin • Comparable services to those provided other students • Access to the dispute resolution process

  8. McKinney-Vento and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • Special provisions: • Don’t need a parent/guardian to enroll or have access to services • Local liaison must support the student in making education decisions and understanding MV rights • Same right to dispute resolution as parents/ guardians

  9. Enrollment Strategies www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • Three common methods for enrolling unaccompanied homeless youth • A caregiver enrolls (see sample enrollment form at www.serve.org/nche/downloads/toolkit/app_e.pdf ) • Local liaison enrolls • The UHY enrolls himself/herself • Required signatures and decision-making for UHY usually follows the same pattern

  10. Enrollment Reminders www.serve.org/nche Working with Homeless Students • A school district cannot • require a caregiver to obtain legal guardianship • discontinue an UHY’s enrollment due to an inability to identify a caregiver, guardian, or parent following enrollment • disenroll because of inability to produce guardianship or other paperwork

  11. Applying for CollegeFinancial Aid • College Cost Reduction and Access Act • Uses McKinney-Vento definition of homeless • Independent student includes: • Unaccompanied homeless youth • Youth in foster care after age 13 • Emancipated minors and those in legal guardianships determined by a court • Can apply for federal aid without parental information or signature  • Must be verified as unaccompanied and homeless or as unaccompanied, at risk of homelessness, and self-supporting

  12. Independent Student Statusfor FAFSA • Can be verified by • McKinney-Vento School District Liaison • Director or designee of a HUD-funded program • Director or designee of a RHYA-funded program • Financial aid administrator

  13. Citizenship and financial aid Only U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens can receive federal student financial aid Noncitizens may be eligible for state, private, or institutional aid and should complete the FAFSA to apply for that aid Federal Student Aid Handbook – discussion of citizenship issueshttp://www.ifap.ed.gov/ifap/byAwardYear.jsp?type=fsahandbook&awardyear=2010-2011

  14. NCHE Resources • Child Welfare/Foster Care page http://www.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_foster.php • Unaccompanied youth page http://www.serve.org/nche/ibt/sc_youth.php • Access to Higher Education page http://www.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php

  15. Contact Information Jan Moore National Center for Homeless Education jmoore@serve.org 800-308-2145

  16. Washington State OverviewHomeless Children and Youth Foster Care Summit November, 2011 Washington, D.C.

  17. Washington State Data Trends 2003-04: 8,141 2004-05: 12,274 2005-06: 13,942 2006-07: 16,853 2007-08: 18,670 2008-09: 20,780 2009-10: 21,826

  18. Washington State Data, cont. Between 2008-09 and 2009-10 • 139 Districts reported an increase in homeless students • 103 Districts reported a decrease in homeless students • 53 Districts reported no change • In 2009-10, 50 districts reported “zero” homeless students; a decrease from 2008-09, when 56 districts reported “zero” homeless students

  19. McKinney-Vento Grants • Currently, Washington receives $862,249 • Provides competitive grants to 23 sites • Of 295 districts, 245 reported homeless students enrolled in 2009-10

  20. Challenges • “Awaiting” foster care placement • Lack of transportation funding • State level data collection changes • Reaching every district liaison for training and technical assistance (geography)

  21. Successes • Increased collaboration with Children’s Administration • Amazing support from State Director for Pupil Transportation. All districts transportation staff receive comprehensive McKinney-Vento training. • Overwhelming participation from most school districts in training and technical assistance • Program staff provided on-site TA to 68 individual districts last year, and over 500 people attended our (large group) annual liaison training sessions

  22. For more information… Melinda Dyer, Program Supervisor Education of Homeless Children and Youth Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction 360.725.6050 melinda.dyer@k12.wa.us

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