December 2, 2013

Patricia A. Popp, Ph.D., State CoordinatorProject HOPE – Virginia

The College of William & Mary

McKinney-Vento 101

Highlight key McKinney-Vento EHCY requirementsDefine homelessnessLiaisonsImmediate enrollmentSchool of origin

Virginia specific ResourcesYour questions

Agenda

Causes and Impact of HomelessnessCauses

PovertySubstance

AbuseDomestic

ViolenceMental IllnessAffordable

HousingPhysical IllnessEconomic crises

Impact Absenteeism is

greater Developmental delays

occur at 4 times the rate reported for other children

Learning disabilities identified at double the rate

Twice as likely to repeat a grade

Poverty Tourhttp://www.povertyusa.org/the-state-o

f-poverty/poverty-usa-tour/

National Low Income Housing Coalitionhttp://www.nlihc.org

VDSS Self Sufficiency Standardshttp://www.dss.state.va.us/geninfo/rep

orts/agency_wide/self_sufficiency.cgi

Context

 Title X, Part C2001 Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY)

Program

Reauthorizes the Stewart B. McKinney Act, originally enacted in 1987

Provides states with funding to support local grants and statewide initiatives

Requires educational access, attendance, and success for homeless children and youth

McKinney-Vento Act, EHCY

School is the most normal activity that most children experience

collectively…For homeless children it is much more than a learning

environment. It is a place of safety, personal space, friendships, and

support.Oakley & King, 2000

The child’s classroom may be the only place where the child can experience quiet, interact with children his/her age,

and experience success…

An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth :

sharing housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship

living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate housing

living in emergency or transitional housing (What about housing first?)

Defining homelessness for EHCY

Including children and youth :- abandoned in hospitals- awaiting foster care - having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, regular sleeping accommodations

Defining homelessness (cont’d)

- living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations

- migratory students meeting the description

- unaccompanied youth meeting the description

Defining homelessness (cont’d)

Fixed: Stationary, permanent, and not subject to change

Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis (e.g. nightly)

Adequate: Sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments

Can the student go to the SAME PLACE (fixed) EVERY NIGHT

(regular) to sleep in a SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?

Fixed, Regular, and Adequate

Appoint a local homeless education liaison in every LEA

For Virginia liaisons, visit: www.wm.edu/hope

Provide outreach and coordination to identify students

McKinney-Vento EHCY Requirements

Enroll students immediately in local school OR

Maintain student enrollment in the school of origin when feasible and in the student’s best interestIncludes transportationEven across school division lines

Get the student enrolled and keep the student enrolled!

EHCY Requirements (cont’d)

Ensuring Access to Educational Services

Free school meals

Title ISpecial education

Gifted programs

TransportationAfter school and summer programs

Head Start, VPI, ECSE, EI

Approx. one-third are families1.6 million children – one in 45 experience homelessness (NCFH)

1,065,794 in SY 2010-2011, an 11 percent increase over the three-year period SY 2008-2009

NCHE State Profile Pages

Numbers experiencing homelessness

Nationally

• PreK-12 – 17,940

• PreK – 551 (enrolled)

• Elementary – 9,469• Middle – 3,543• High –4,377

Virginia 2011-12

Hyperlink: NCHE State Profile Pages

70%

15%

13%

2%

Virginia 2012 Primary Nighttime Residence

Doubled up Sheltered Hotel/motelUnsheltered

Students Identified as Homeless Total Enrolled in Virginia Public Schools

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-2011

2011-12

10,564 9,898 11,776 12,768

14,223 16,420

17,940

Young Children Experiencing Homelessness

45 percent of children living in homeless shelters in Virginia are under the age of five.

2500 children under five were reported by VDHCD in emergency, domestic violence and transitional programs for FY 2008

The Importance of Education for Young Children Experiencing Homelessnesshttp://link.brightco

ve.com/services/player/bcpid4853363001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAP1OrgE~,Pg4k-7G5h8q5f5a18Ed-9RBn57qq9pZW&bctid=1543532738001

VA resourcesEI websiteHOPE websiteHeadStart site

Who are unaccompanied homeless youth?

Who are unaccompanied students?2-step process

1)Does the student’s living arrangement meet the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless?

2)Once homelessness is determined, is the student unaccompanied?

Unaccompanied = “not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian”; in practical terms, this means the youth does not live with the parent or guardian

539%increase from 2005-06 to present

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-

2011

2011-12

228 271 311494

862

12481457UHY Reported by

Subgrants

Scenario: JeroldJerold was kicked out of his house in his junior year of high school. He’d had problems getting along with his stepmom for some time and the level of conflict had gotten out of control. He went to live with his friend, Kevin, but Kevin’s parents said Jerold can only stay there until the end of the semester.

Is Jerold:Homeless?Unaccompanied homeless youth?Neither?

Scenario: KristinKristin’s mom was incarcerated during her senior year in high school. Her older sister moved back to the family’s house to be with Kristin while her mom was gone.

Is Kristin:Homeless?Unaccompanied homeless youth?Neither?

Scenario: AdamAdam and his family have experienced housing instability for many years due to his father’s health and difficulty maintaining a job. Adam and his younger brother and two sisters and lived in their van with both parents last year. Currently, they are staying in a low-cost motel.

Is Adam:Homeless?Unaccompanied homeless youth?Neither?

Scenario: SaraSara’s dad is a professor at a local college. He will be teaching in another state for one semester as a visiting professor. Because Sara is going into her senior year of high school, she plans to stay with a neighborhood friend while her dad is away.

Is Sara:Homeless?Unaccompanied homeless youth?Neither?

Scenario: Andre

Andre is a 16 year old junior in high school. There was a conflict at home that led to a CPS call. Social services did not take custody of Andre but assisted in arranging for him to stay with his aunt in a neighboring school district as an informal kinship care arrangement.Is Andre:

Homeless?Unaccompanied homeless youth?Neither?

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth and

the FAFSA

Financial Aid and FAFSA Basics

Families are expected to contribute to higher education costs to the extent to which they are able (“expected family contribution” or EFC)

FAFSACannot be filed before January 1st preceding

the academic year in which the student wishes to enroll

For dependent students, filling out the FAFSA requires income and asset information for both the student and a parent, and a parent signature

For independent students, no parental signature or income and asset information is needed

101

Federal Financial Aid

Youth who meet the definition of “independent student” can apply for federal aid without parental income information or signature.

Unaccompanied youth are automatically considered independent students.Must be verified as unaccompanied and

homeless during the school year when application is submitted.

Youth who are unaccompanied, at risk of homelessness, and self-supporting are also automatically considered independent studentsMust be verified as such during the school

year in which the application is submitted.

Federal Financial Aid (cont.)Verification must be made by:

McKinney-Vento Act school district liaison

HUD homeless assistance program director or designee

Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program director or designee

Financial aid administrator. If a student does not have, and cannot get,

verification from liaison or shelter provider, the FAA must determine eligibility based on legal definitions of homelessness and unaccompanied

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

State 82.1 83.2 85.5 86.6 88 89.1

Homeless 59.8 66.5 71.4 70.9 72.1 73.9

Homeless Anytime

57.4 61.7 65.9 65.8 67.7 70

525456585

Virginia's On-time Graduation Rate

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HMSE_PICS.mpg

Thanks for all you do!

HUD Virginia Resources - www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=va&topic=homeless

NAEHCY – www.naehcy.org NCHE - www.serve.org/nche NLCHP - www.nlchp.org NLIHC – www.nlihc.org Project HOPE-VA: www.wm.edu/hope USDE -

www.ed.gov/programs/homeless/index.html

Resources

Contact Information

Project HOPE-VirginiaThe College of William and Mary

P. O. Box 8795Williamsburg, Virginia 23187

(757) 221-7776 (877) 455-3412 (toll free)(757) 221-5300 (fax)

homlss@wm.eduwww.wm.edu/hope