Transcript Being Their Advocate: Helping UnHomeless Youth Access

STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING COLLEGE
ACCESS AMONG UNACCOMPANIED
HOMELESS STUDENTS AND STUDENTS
FROM FOSTER CARE
Michigan Pre-College Conference
November 2013
Who Are You?
Social Workers, Child Welfare
System Experts?
 Alumni of Foster Care?
 Educators?
 Advocates?

Meet NAEHCY
The National Association for the Education of
Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) is a
national grassroots membership association that
connects educators, parents, advocates, researchers,
and service providers to ensure school enrollment,
attendance and overall success for children and
youth whose lives have been disrupted by the lack
of safe, permanent, and adequate housing.
 Website: http://www.naehcy.org
Meet
Fostering Success Michigan
Resourcing, supporting and networking
partners to increase access and success
in postsecondary education and
professional careers for students from
foster care ages 12-25 in Michigan.
 Website:
www.FosteringSuccessMichigan.com
Population Overview
Graphic courtesy of Foster Care Alumni of America. Fostercarealumni.org
How Many Youth Experience
Homelessness?



1.6 to 1.7 million youth
Public schools 1,065,794 homeless children/youth in 2011-12
– 13% increase over past two years
– 44 states (83%) reported increases
– 55,066 unaccompanied homeless youth
22% of homeless children are put into foster care

30% of children in foster care could return home if their parents
had access to housing

Approximately 27% of homeless adults and 41% of homeless
youth report a foster care history

25% of youth “aging out” of foster care experience homelessness
Alumni of Foster Care
Outcomes: Living Arrangements
Alumni of Foster
Care
31%
1.3%
5%
Source: Courtney et al, 2011
vs.
National Sample
Living on own
vs.
Homeless
vs.
Incarcerated
vs.
48%
0%
0.5%
Alumni of Foster Care
Outcomes: Economic Status
Source: Courtney et al, 2011
Alumni of Foster
Care
vs.
National Sample
Currently employed
46%
vs.
80%
Mean income
$13,989
vs.
$32,312
Economic hardship
45%
Vs.
18%
Alumni of Foster Care
Outcomes: Education
Source: Courtney et al, 2011
Alumni of Foster
Care
vs.
National Sample
No high school diploma or GED
20%
vs.
6%
2-year college degree
4%
vs.
10%
4-year college degree
3%
vs.
24%
Youth Ages 12 – 21 in
Michigan Foster Care



Number of youth age 12 and older: 4,402
Number of youth age 18 and older: 1,201
Counties with highest number of youth age 12 and older
in care:
 Wayne:
1,198
 Kent: 281
 Macomb: 260
 Oakland: 254
 Genesse: 249
* Source: Michigan DHS June 2013
Paths to Being “On Our Own”




Family conflict: blended family issues, pregnancy,
sexual activity or orientation, school problems,
substance abuse
Abuse and/or neglect within the home
Parental incarceration, illness, hospitalization, or
death
Lack of space in temporary situations or shelter
policies that prohibit adolescent boys
Paths Continued

Child welfare issues
 Running
away from a placement
 Aging out of the system
 Significant correlation between involvement with the
child welfare system and experiencing homelessness as
an adult
Resources for Disconnected Students
Graphic courtesy of Foster Care Alumni of America. Fostercarealumni.org
Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights &
Services

Children or youth who lack a fixed, regular, and
adequate nighttime residence, including:
Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing,
economic hardship, or similar reason
 Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due
to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations
 Living in emergency or transitional shelters
 Awaiting foster care placement

Eligibility Continued

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, or a similar setting

Migratory children living in the above circumstances

Unaccompanied youth living in the above circumstances
For more info, see NCHE’s Determining Eligibility brief at
www.serve.org/nche/briefs.php
Fixed, Regular, Adequate



Fixed: Stationary, permanent, and not subject to change
Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis
(e.g. nightly); consider the relative permanence
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)?
Pre-College Bound Homeless Youth

Connect students with the McKinney-Vento Liaison for
their school district


www.michigan.gov/homeless
McKinney-Vento eligible students have the right to
Receive a free, appropriate public education
 Enroll immediately if lacking documentation
 Enroll in the local school, or continue attending their school
of origin
 Receive transportation to and from school of origin
 http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/youthposter_eng_
color.pdf

Funding Available for
Students from Foster Care

FAFSA

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
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Students must indicate that they are an “independent student”
Makes students Pell Grant eligible, a requirement for many campus-support programs
Requires DHS form 945 (can be obtained from case manager)
Educational and Trainings Voucher (ETV) Program

The Chafee Educational and Training Voucher Program (ETV) provides resources specifically to meet the
education and training needs of youth aging out of foster care. This program makes vouchers of up to
$5,000 per fiscal year available to eligible youth attending post secondary educational and vocational
programs.


Youth in Transition Funds (YIT)

YIT can be used to help with the costs of books, uniforms, transportation (monthly bus pass), equipment,
supplies, and other expenses related to their educational goals that are not covered by any other
funding source.


For more information contact: http://mietv.lssm.org/ or Tanya Maki, Lutheran Social Services of Michigan,
Phone: (877)660-6388 or email at [email protected]
For information contact: Ann Rossi by phone at (517) 373-2851 or via email at [email protected]
http://www.michigan.gov/fyit/0,1607,7-240-44524-161180--,00.html
Tuition Incentive Program (TIP)

Student must have or had Medicaid for 24 months within 36 month consecutive month period. Must apply
before high school graduation and must present TIP letter to financial aid at their postsecondary
institution. Phase 1 covers tuition and fees at community college. Phase 2 provides up to $2,000 starting
in a student’s junior year at a 4-year Michigan college.
Fostering Success Michigan
Resource Website
Creating a College-Going
Culture
Graphic courtesy of Foster Care Alumni of America. Fostercarealumni.org
Barriers to Higher Education for
Unaccompanied Homeless/Foster Care Youth

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




Lack of access to parental financial information and
support
Lack of financial means to live independently and
safely
Inability to be financially self-sufficient once enrolled in
college
Limited housing options, especially in small towns or
rural areas
Struggling to balance school and other responsibilities
Lack of adult guidance and support
Lack of information about available support systems
How do you overcome the
barriers and increase success?
Pre-College Support:
 Bring the college conversation TO youth in care
 Work WITH youth in care to find their spark
 ENGAGE youth in care in pre-college
preparation support
 Set the expectation of SUCCESS
 KNOW your resources!
 Be a SUPPORTIVE ADULT
Unaccompanied Students Under MV

2-step process to determine eligibility
1)Does the student’s living arrangement meet the McKinneyVento 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”
Financial Aid and FAFSA Basics


Expected family contribution (EFC):
Families are expected to contribute to
higher education costs to the extent they
are able
FAFSA



Cannot be filed before January 1 prior to the
academic year in which student seeks to enroll
For dependent students, income and asset
information required for both the student and a
parent; parental signature required
For independent students, no parental signature
nor income and asset information is needed
UHY and the FAFSA
2012-13 ONLINE FAFSA
College Cost Reduction And Act
(CCRAA)

Independent student status for unaccompanied homeless
youth and self-supporting youth at risk of homelessness
 Can apply for financial aid without parental
signature or consideration of parental income
 Must be determined by:




Local liaison
RHYA-funded shelter director or designee
HUD-funded shelter director or designee
College financial aid administrator
Verification of Status Form

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Documentation of
Independent Student Status for the FAFSA
 Can
be used by any of the four verifiers
 Copy should be on file with the school, one with student,
and one sent to college/university
 Valid for one academic year
Uninterrupted Scholars Act
Legislation Summary
Unintentionally, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) hinder child welfare agencies in their efforts to meet
the educational needs of students in foster care.
The Uninterrupted Scholars Act remedies this by:


Adding child welfare agencies to the list of approved
entities with direct access to a student’s educational records,
as long as the child welfare agency has legal responsibility
for the foster youth’s placement and care
Protecting and preserving the educational privacy rights of
students and parents that FERPA is designed to safeguard.
Best Practices in High Schools
• Focus on FASFSA completion!
• FAFSA Week – see www.naehcy.org
• Inform unaccompanied youth of college options as soon as
they are identified as homeless or from foster care
• Make sure high school counselors know about the FAFSA
policies for UHY and students from foster care
• Arrange for students to visit local colleges and universities
• Use a template for verification – www.naehcy.org
• Connect UHY and students from foster care to Gear-Up,
Upward Bound, other TRIO programs
Best Practices in Postsecondary
Institutions
•
Establish coordination between financial aid offices,
student support services, and campus housing
• Open a food and clothing bank on campus
• Consider housing options for homeless students
when dorms close:
Leaving one residence hall open
Allow UHY and students from foster care to stay
in housing for international students
Provide a list of “host homes” in the community
• Has established Single Points of Contact (SPOCS)/Life
Skills Coaches in colleges/universities to help
eliminate barriers to higher education access
Resources for Student Support

Connect students with federal and community resources
that they may be eligible for
Medicaid
 Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
 Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF)
 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
 Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Funded Shelters (RHYA)
 Administration for Children and Families


http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/grants/fysb-grantees
Michigan Statewide Network

Pam Kies-Lowe, State Coordinator for Homeless
Children and Youth


Mark Delorey, Director of Financial Aid, Western
Michigan University


[email protected]
Creating SPOC’s at (15) 4-year public
colleges/universities


[email protected]
Move to creating SPOC’s at Community Colleges
Partnerships with Michigan College Access Network
(MCAN), Fostering Success Michigan (FSM), Michigan’s
Children and many other youth serving organizations
Michigan Campus Based
Support Programs
YOU Can Make the Difference
Graphic courtesy of Foster Care Alumni of America. Fostercarealumni.org
Avoiding Stigma


When steps are taken to avoid stigma students will
want to engage with the services provided, not feel
as if they have to engage with services provided
Tips for reducing stigma:
 Language
 Let
student take lead in identifying foster care history
 Peer equality
 Giving back
Why are supportive adults key to
student success?



In his 2008 report, James Vacca states that foster
youth “are of the most educationally vulnerable
populations in our schools.”
Supportive adults are key to students developing
skills of interdependence and perseverance.
This is where YOU come in!

SO…who are you in the life of a student?
Graphic courtesy of Foster Care Alumni of America. Fostercarealumni.org
For more information:
Cyekeia Lee: [email protected] , (734)258-8175
Maddy Day: [email protected], (269) 568-9142
www.FosteringSuccessMichigan.com
http://groups.google.com/group/fostering-success-michigan