Transcript Document

Diana Bowman
[email protected]
Jan Moore
[email protected]
Beth Bullock Johnson
[email protected]
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Key responsibilities to support
unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY)
 Create awareness on campus of homeless students
 Expedite the process of determining eligibility for
independent student status for the FAFSA
 Facilitate campus discussions to develop a system of
support for UHY.
 Link youth with campus resources and community
assistance
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Based at UNCG
Operates U.S. Department of Education’s technical
assistance center in the area of homeless education
Serves as clearinghouse of information to remove or
overcome educational barriers and to improve
educational opportunities and outcomes for children
and youth experiencing homelessness
Supports educators and service providers by
producing training and awareness materials and
presenting at regional and national conferences
Website: www.serve.org/nche Helpline 800-308-2145
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Includes representatives from NCHE, NC
Homeless Education Program, NC public,
private, and community colleges, public schools,
NC State Education Assistance Agency, and
others
Aims to smooth the transition to college for
unaccompanied homeless students
Provides joint training by higher education and
homeless education members
Seeks to establish a SPOC for homeless students
on every NC campus
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What is the McKinney-Vento Act?
Who are unaccompanied homeless youth?
Unaccompanied homeless youth and the
FAFSA
College support networks and initiatives
Resources
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Application and Verification Guide 2012-2013:
Dependency Status (excerpt)
Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services Under the
McKinney-Vento Act
Increasing Access to Higher Education for Unaccompanied
Homeless Youth: Information for Colleges and Universities
Making Student Status Determinations for
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: Tool for Financial Aid
Administrators
NCHE/NASFAA awareness poster
All webinar handouts available at
http://center.serve.org/nche/web/nc_spoc.php
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Title X, Part C of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Focuses on K-12, but includes
 Preschool
 Transition to college, especially with
College Cost Reduction and Access Act
▪ MV definition of homeless is used in AVG
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Local liaison in every school district
State Coordinator in every state
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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 (“doubling up”)
 Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks,
camping grounds due to the lack of
adequate alternative accommodations
 Living in emergency or transitional
shelters
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 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, or a similar setting
 Migratory children living in the above
circumstances
 Unaccompanied youth living in the
above circumstances
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Are you aware of unaccompanied homeless
youth on your campus?
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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
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Consider relative permanence of living arrangement
Can the student go to the SAME PLACE (fixed) EVERY NIGHT
(regular) to sleep in a SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?
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Shelter Issues
 Shortage - often full; few in suburbs and
rural areas
 Short stay limits
 Last resort -youth may fear
 May exclude unaccompanied minors
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Youth may be unaware of alternatives
 Flee in crisis
 Live in overcrowded, temporary, and unsafe
situations
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McKinney-Vento defines
doubled-up as “sharing the
housing of others due to loss of
housing, economic hardship, or
similar reason”
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 Considerations:
 Did the student lose his/her housing?
 Is the student experiencing economic hardship
resulting in inability to access stable housing?
 How permanent is the living arrangement
intended to be?
 Where would the student be if not doubled up?
 Is the living arrangement fixed, regular, and
adequate?
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2-step determination process
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”; in
practical terms, this means the youth
does not live with the parent or guardian
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A youth can be eligible regardless of whether
he/she was asked to leave the home or “chose”
to leave
Sometimes there is “more than meets the eye”
for a youth’s home life situation
Institutions of higher education do not need to
understand and/or agree with all aspects of a
student’s home life to educate him/her and
comply with federal educational mandates
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Family conflict: blended family issues,
pregnancy, sexual activity or
orientation, school problems,
alcohol/drug use
Abuse and/or neglect within the home
Parental issues: incarceration,
substance abuse, mental health
issues, hospitalization, or death
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Foster care issues
 Running away from a placement
 Aging out
 Significant correlation between involvement with the
child welfare system and experiencing homelessness
as an adult
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Some students become homeless with their
families, but end up on their own due to lack of
space in temporary accommodations or shelter
policies that prohibit adolescent males
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Financial
 Lack means to live independently and safely
 Not self-sufficient once enrolled in college
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Housing
 Limited options, especially in small towns and rural
areas
 Nowhere to go when dorms close
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Support
 Struggle to balance school & other responsibilities
 Unfamiliar with available support systems
 Lack of adult guidance and advocacy
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Sarah had problems getting along with her stepdad for
some time. The conflict escalated after high school
graduation, so she went to live with her friend, Kim. But
Kim’s parents said Sarah can only stay there until the
end of the summer, when Kim leaves for college. Sarah is
no longer in contact with her mom and stepdad.
 According to McKinney-Vento, is Sarah an
unaccompanied homeless youth?
 Other questions?
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College Cost Reduction and Access Act
(CCRAA)
 Independent student status on the FAFSA for
unaccompanied homeless youth and self-supporting
youth at risk of homelessness
 Can apply for aid without parental signature or
consideration of parental income
 Must be determined by one of the following:
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2.
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Local liaison
RHYA-funded shelter director or designee
HUD-funded shelter director or designee
College Financial Aid Administrator
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CCRAA uses the McKinney-Vento definition of
homeless; includes a student
 living in the dorms if he/she would otherwise be
homeless
 fleeing an abusive parent, even if the parent
would provide housing and support
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At risk of homelessness includes “when a
student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular,
and adequate”
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FAA = Financial Aid Administrator
According to the Application and Verification
Guide, if a student does not have, and cannot
get, documentation from a Local Liaison, RHYA
provider, or HUD provider, a FAA must make a
determination of homeless/unaccompanied
status
This is not an exercise of professional judgment
or a dependency override for youth 21 and
younger; it is determining
the independent student status of an
unaccompanied homeless youth
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Updated AVG released in Spring 2012
 Includes language from NCHE’s
Determining Eligibility brief
 Student can use the school’s
administrative address as his/her mailing
address
 UHY may be 21 or younger or still
enrolled in high school when FAFSA is
signed
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Verification required only if there is conflicting
information
Permits FAA to confirm status with documented
interview (See handout: Making Student Status
Determinations)
Encourages discretion and sensitivity when gathering
information
 Child welfare and police reports are not necessary
Recommends consulting with local liaisons, State
Coordinators, NCHE, counselors, clergy, etc.
Allows students to appeal eligibility determinations to
the U.S. Department of Education
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Consult the AVG
Become familiar with the McKinney-Vento
definition of homeless and apply it case-bycase to students’ living circumstances
Consult with local liaisons, State
Coordinators, or NCHE
Be reasonable and sensitive when requesting
information from students
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Older than 21 but not yet 24 – those who are
unaccompanied and homeless or self supporting
and at risk of being homeless qualify for a
dependency override
 FAA determines if student meets school’s criteria
for a dependency override
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24 and older – automatically qualify for
independent student status
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Local Liaisons for Homeless Education
http://center.serve.org/hepnc/nc_pol.php#local
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State Coordinator in NC
Lisa Phillips, [email protected]
800-659-320
HUD = U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
 RHYA = Runaway and Homeless Youth Act
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Samuel had to leave home the summer before his senior year
in high school, when his mom was incarcerated. He has
stayed with different relatives and friends since then, but
none has been willing to obtain legal guardianship or provide
financial support. Samuel’s father has never been a part of his
life, so he doesn’t know if he’s even alive. Samuel is
concerned about having enough money to attend college.
 According to McKinney-Vento, is Samuel an unaccompanied
homeless youth?
 Other questions?
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Post information publicly in strategic locations
on campus
 Create awareness of the issue among faculty
and staff, particularly those working in the
area of financial aid, student services, and
other support services
 Awareness resources
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 NCHE higher education brief
http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/higher_ed.pdf
 NCHE/NASFAA awareness poster
http://center.serve.org/nche/pr/he_poster.php
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Refer students to campus & community
support services upon admission
Establish coordination between financial aid,
student support, & campus housing
Start a food and clothing bank
Plan housing options when dorms close
 Use a “host home” program in the community
 Leave one residence hall open
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Begin a mentoring program
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Convene a meeting with McKinneyVento liaisons and other local
stakeholders
Ask everyone to share knowledge about
their area of expertise
 Higher education: Financial aid
 Local liaisons: McKinney-Vento definition
 Community partners: Resources for
homelessness
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Build an action plan for serving UHY that
fits your community
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National Center for Homeless Education
Higher Education page:
http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php
NCHE helpline: 800-308-2145 or [email protected]
NC Homeless Education Program
http://center.serve.org/hepnc/
Higher Education page coming soon
National Association for the
Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Higher Education page:
http://www.naehcy.org/higher_ed.html
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