Transcript Taking the Next Step

NAEHCY 2014 Conference
Taking the Next Step: How to Help Homeless
Youth to Access Financial Aid and Transition to
College
Slide 2
Section I:
Choosing a College
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Choosing a Campus with
Supportive Services for Homeless
Youth

Characteristics of Colleges with Supportive
Services for Homeless Youth:

Finding the right campus size


Housing Options
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Two Year -vs- Four Year
Year round housing, on/off campus options
Financial Aid Assistance
Mentoring
Tutoring
Class Size
Characteristic Grid
Slide 4
College Search Tool
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
 General school information
 Tuition, fees, and estimated student expenses
 Types of financial aid provided
 Net price
 Enrollment
 Admissions requirements
 Retention and graduation rates
 Accreditation
 Campus security statistics
 Default rates
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 6
NAEHCY Statewide Networks


Stakeholders from K-12 education, Local homeless
liaisons, higher education staff, RHYA and HUD
shelter staff, and college access program staff
working together to eliminate higher education
barriers for homeless youth.
 CO, FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, MI, NH, NC, OK
NAEHCY is working with the following states to
develop State Higher Education Networks:
 IN, MN, NJ, VA
 http://naehcy.org/legislation-and-policy/statehe-networks
Slide 7
Resource: State Programs

Some states have special provisions available for lowincome and/or homeless students:
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Indiana – Students receiving free lunch receive a tuition
waiver when participating in Indiana’s Double Up
Program (dual enrollment in college courses for students
in 11th and 12th grade)
http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title21/ar14/ch8.h
tml
Indiana – Twenty-First Century Scholars Program Income-eligible 7th and 8th graders who enroll in the
program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship are
guaranteed to receive up to four years of
undergraduate tuition at any participating public
college or university in Indiana
http://www.scholars.in.gov
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 8
Resource: State Programs


Florida – Homeless students are exempt from the
payment of tuition and fees, including lab fees,
at a school district that provides postsecondary
career programs, community college, or state
university (2011 F.S. 1009.25); Florida statute
establishes the definition of “homeless” used
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?A
pp_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL
=1000-1099/1009/Sections/1009.25.html
Look for resources in your state!
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Campuses That Have Single
Points of Contacts
“Single Point of Contact” – A supportive
college administrator on each campus who is
committed to helping homeless youth (and
often foster youth) successfully navigate the
college-going process on campuses
 Connects students to Admissions, Financial
Aid, Academic Advising, Housing, Community
Resources etc.
In place in MI, CO, NC, and GA
In progress in AL, FL, NH, NV, MA, NJ, IN, PA

http://naehcy.org/legislation-and-policy/state-henetworks
Slide 7
Help Student’s Obtain Fee
Waivers During High School
 SAT/ACT
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Waiver
http://www.actstudent.org/faq/feewaiver.ht
ml
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testin
g/waivers/guidelines/sat
Admission’s Application Fee Waiver

http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/feew
aiver/Pages/default.aspx
Slide 10
Connect Student to Bridge
Programs
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Individual colleges may offer their own bridge
programs to help entering freshmen have a smooth
transition.
Offer the following:
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College-level courses (earn college credit hours)
Development seminars
College life workshops
Social events
Mentoring provided by current students
Counsel for Opportunities in Education
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http://www.coenet.us/coe_prod_imis/COE/Home/COE/H
ome.aspx?hkey=040cec49-d947-4110-b9fa-1f30bef9c919
Slide 12
Best Practices in High School
Focus on FASFSA completion!
o Early awareness
http://www.collegeaccess.org/Early_Awareness_
o FAFSA Week – see www.naehcy.org
o Inform unaccompanied youth of college options as
soon as they are identified as homeless
o Make sure high school counselors know about the
FAFSA policies for UHY
o Arrange for students to visit local colleges and
universities
o Use a template for determinations –
www.naehcy.org
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 22
Best Practices on Campus
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Campus advisors can work together to create
campus networks to focus on meeting needs of
homeless youth
Communicate with local homeless liaisons to
streamline the transition process
Get involved with local state network for homeless
youth that are accessing higher education
Create a single point of contact (SPOC) on
campus

http://naehcy.org/educational-resources/highered
Slide 14
Section II:
Paying for College
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Slide 15
What is financial aid?
Any source of funds other than from the
family used to pay college expenses
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Slide 16
Sources of Financial Aid
 Federal
government
 States
 Colleges
 Private
sources
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Slide 17
Costs that Can be Paid with
Financial Aid
 Direct
costs
 Indirect
costs
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Slide 18
Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA)
 Standard
 Must
federal form
be completed every year
 Asks
for demographic and financial
information
 Some
students must provide parental
information
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 19
Dependency Status
 Dependent
students must provide
parental data on FAFSA

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Expectation of parental support
Independent students do not provide
parental data on FAFSA

No expectation of parental support
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 20
Who Can Make a Determination that a
Student is an UHY?
 School
district liaisons
 Director or designee of a HUD-funded
emergency shelter or transitional housing
program
 Director or designee of a runaway or
homeless youth basic shelter or
transitional living program
 Financial aid administrator
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Slide 21
Department of Education
Guidance
 Determinations
are not the use of
professional judgment or a dependency
override
 Use
McKinney-Vento Act definitions
 Use
of a documented interview
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Slide 22
Department of Education
Guidance
 Reach
out to homeless education
professionals
 Use
of discretion
 Students
may appeal financial aid
administrator’s determination to
Department of Education
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Slide 23
Tools for Financial Aid
Administrators
 Determination
template
 Making
of independent status
determinations tool
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Slide 24
Other Forms and Applications
 CSS
Profile
 Institutional
applications
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Awarding Process
Cost of Attendance (COA)
─ Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
____________________________________
Financial Need
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Awarding Process
 Financial
aid packages consist of a mix of:

Grants/scholarships

Work

Loans
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Slide 27
Awarding Process
Packaging philosophy varies from college to
college so a student’s financial aid offer will
also vary from college to college
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Slide 28
Understanding Budgets
 College
use the same standard cost
components
 Value
of components will vary based on
college type, location, and other factors
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Slide 29
Understanding Award Letters
 EFC
 Mix
will be the same regardless of college
of aid will vary by college
 Look
at out of pocket costs
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Slide 30
Scholarships
 Common
sources

Civic organizations

Houses of worship

Nonprofit organizations and foundations
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Slide 31
Searching for Scholarships
 Fastweb!:
http://www.fastweb.com/
 College Board:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/schola
rship-search
 U.S. Department of Labor:
http://www.careerinfonet.org/scholarship
search/ScholarshipCategory.asp?searcht
ype=category&nodeid=22
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Impact of Outside Scholarships
 Could
reduce existing aid package from
college
 Changes
depend on school policies and
procedures
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Resources: Scholarships

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Check with the high school’s guidance
counselor for a list of private scholarships
available to area students
The LeTendre Education Fund Scholarship:
www.naehcy.org/letendre_ab.html
(application period closed until 2013)
Give Us Your Poor/Horatio Alger Scholarship:
https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships/
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 34
Undocumented students
 Not
eligible to receive federal student aid
 May be eligible for state and/or
institutional aid
 Depending on state, may qualify for instate tuition

General requirements
2014 NAEHCY Conference
NAEHCY Higher Education
Resources
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NAEHCY Toolkit: College Access and Success for Students
Experiencing Homelessness available at
http://www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/he-toolkit
Podcast Series
http://naehcy.org/educational-resources/podcasts
NAEHCY Higher Education Helpline
(855) 446-2673 (toll-free)
[email protected]
http://www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/helpline
FAFSA Tips for Unaccompanied Youth Without Stable
Housing and Helping Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Access College Financial Aid at
http://www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/higher-ed
Slide 36
2014 NAEHCY Conference
Slide 37
Contact us….
 Cyekeia
Lee, Director of Higher Education
Initiatives, NAEHCY

[email protected]
 Jennifer
Martin, Director of Training
Initiatives , NASFAA

[email protected]
2014 NAEHCY Conference