Transcript Homeless Youth & Federal Financial Aid

Mark Delorey, Director of Financial Aid
Western Michigan University
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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
◦ 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
Set aside preconceived notions of what
homelessness “looks like”
 Pay close attention to the legislative definition and
its wording
 Consider “relative permanence” of the living
arrangement
 Consider practical implications of high mobility
and/or estrangement from parents and their
effects on a student’s education
Reference NCHE’s Determining Eligibility brief at
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www.serve.org/nche/briefs.php
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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)?
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Shelters are often full, turning youth away
There are no shelters in many suburban and rural
areas
Eligibility rules of shelters often exclude
unaccompanied minors
Youth may fear adult shelters
Shelters often have 30-, 60-, or 90-day time limits
Youth may be unaware of alternatives, fleeing in
crisis, living in over-crowded, temporary, and
sometimes unsafe environments
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Immediate enrollment, even if
lacking paperwork
Choice of schools
◦ School of origin (if feasible)
◦ School of residence
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Transportation to school of origin,
if requested by parent or guardian
Academic support (Title I, removal
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Comparable services
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of barriers, etc.)
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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?
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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
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 access to parental financial information
and support
Failure to access available support systems
Source: Homeless Youth in the United States: Recent Research Findings and
Intervention Approaches,
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/homelessness/symposium07/toro/index.htm
◦ Multiple studies estimate that 1+ million youth
ages 12-17 will become homeless
unaccompanied youth each year
◦ A disproportionate representation of minority
ethnic groups, LGBTQ youth, and
pregnant/parenting teens
◦ Generally aged 13 or older, but can be younger
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Longstanding patterns of family conflict:
blended family issues, pregnancy, sexual
activity or orientation, school problems,
alcohol/drug use
Abuse and/or neglect within the home
Parental incarceration, substance abuse,
mental illness, hospitalization, or death
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Foster care issues: running away from a
foster care placement, aging out of the foster
care system; significant correlation between
involvement with the child welfare system
and experiencing homelessness as an adult
Foster care placement MISSES youth
Standards to terminate parental rights leads
some youth to take matters into their own
hands
#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 boys
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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 youth’s home life situations
“I left because I didn’t get along with my
step-father”….Often means…..
If your home life was turbulent and/or
problematic, would you disclose this
information in detail to a person you are just
meeting?
Unaccompanied homeless students and/or
parents may or may not wish to discuss or feel
comfortable sharing issues occurring in their
home life.
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Schools first and foremost are educational agencies
The school’s primary responsibility and goal is to
enroll and educate in accordance with federal law,
which supersedes state and local law
Schools 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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College Cost Reduction and Access Act
◦ Independent student status on the FAFSA for
unaccompanied homeless youth and selfsupporting youth at risk of homelessness
◦ Can apply for aid without parental signature or
consideration of parental income
◦ Must be determined by:
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Local liaison
RHYA-funded shelter director or designee
HUD-funded shelter director or designee
College Financial Aid Administrator
CCRAA uses the McKinney-Vento
definition of homeless; also includes a
student living in the dorms if he/she would
otherwise be homeless
At risk of homelessness: “when a student’s
housing may cease to be fixed, regular,
and adequate”
Includes a homeless student fleeing an
abusive parent, even if the parent would
provide housing and support
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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 financial aid
administrator 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; this is determining the independent
student status of an unaccompanied homeless
youth
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Numbers for January 1, 2009 through June
30, 2010, FAFSA application period
◦ Total Number of Applicants for Independent
Status - 19,490,665
◦ Total Number of Applicants who indicated a
homeless circumstance - 47,204 (.24% of total
independent applicants)
 Determined by Local Liaisons: 15,190 applicants – (.08%
of total independent, 32% of homeless)
 Determined by HUD provider: 11,950 applicants – (.06%
of total independent, 25% of homeless)
 Determined by RHYA provider: 20,064 applicants – (.10%
of total independent, 43% of homeless)
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At Risk of Being
Homeless
Homeless
Self-Supporting
Unaccompanied
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Youth – 21 or
Younger*
Fixed Housing
Regular Housing
Adequate Housing
*Students who are older than 21 but not yet 24 and
who are unaccompanied and homeless or selfsupporting and at risk of being homeless may qualify
as “independent by professional judgment” but they
do not qualify to be independent as “homeless”.
“A financial aid administrator can also
determine if a student is an unaccompanied
youth who is either homeless or is selfsupporting and at risk of being homeless. It is
important that you examine students’ living
situations and claims on a case-by-case basis.”
“You are not required to verify the answers to
the homeless youth questions unless you have
conflicting information.”
2010-11 Federal Student Aid Handbook,
Application and Verification Guide, Chapter 2,
Step 3, Pages 28 &29 has two pages of
qualifying language. Definition of conflicting
information is very broad and covers the entire
institution.
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The questions on the FAFSA are confusing
Having the age distinction (21 and younger,
22-23) creates MUCH confusion
Many applicants who claim the status are
NOT homeless
Many who “should” qualify have NOT been in
shelters so the questions do not apply
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Paid consultants are telling dependent
applicants to claim the status
Some fraudulent documentation is being
submitted
There is not always clear, verifiable,
recognizable, consistent documentation
Possibility of a standard certification??
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Letters on official letterhead from
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Homeless liaison
Counselor/teacher/coach/priest-minister-rabbi-etc.
Shelter director
Case worker
Interview with student and written statement
Letters from anyone supporting case
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Refer unaccompanied students to campus and
community support services upon admission
Establish coordination between financial aid
offices, student support services, and campus
housing
Establish a food and clothing bank on campus
Plan housing for homeless students when
dormitories close; ideas include leaving one
residence hall open or establishing a list of “host
homes” in the community
Establish a mentoring program for unaccompanied
homeless youth
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Become familiar with the Application and
Verification Guide
Become familiar with the McKinney-Vento Act’s
definition of homeless and apply it to students’
circumstances on a case-by-case basis
Consult with Local Liaisons, State Coordinators, or
NCHE
Be reasonable and sensitive when requesting
information from students
Advocate!
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Put on a bus to San Francisco
Found a much older man willing to “help”
Couch surfing
Parents can no longer afford kids
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Prostitution
Drug trafficking
Stealing
Suicide
If very lucky, a minimum wage job
Mark Delorey
Director of Financial Aid
Western Michigan University
1903 West Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
269-387-6037
[email protected]