Transcript Supporting the Needs of Homeless Children and Youth OSPI Counseling Conference June 23, 2015

Supporting the Needs of Homeless
Children and Youth
OSPI Counseling Conference
June 23, 2015
Today’s Session…
• Overview regarding homeless children and
youth in Washington State
• Discuss causes and impacts of homelessness
• Understand general provisions of the
McKinney-Vento Act
• Discuss responsibilities of school districts
• Raise awareness…
How many children and youth experience
homelessness?
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2.5 million children nationally (1 in 30 children)
10% of all children living in poverty
733,000-1.3 million youths
Over 40% of all children who are homeless are
under the age of 5
• In Washington 32,539 in 2013-14 (K-12)
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
The National Center on Family
Homelessness •
http://familyhomelessness.org
Causes of Homelessness
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Lack of affordable housing
Deep poverty
Health problems
Domestic violence
Natural and other disasters
Abuse/neglect (unaccompanied youth)
Great Recession
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
The Center for Family
Homelessness •
http://familyhomelessness.org
Research on School Mobility
• Students who switch schools frequently score lower
on standardized tests; study found mobile students
scored 20 points lower than non-mobile students
• Mobility also hurts non-mobile students; study found
average test scores for non-mobile students were
significantly lower in high schools with high student
mobility rates
• It takes children an average of 4-6 months to recover
academically after changing schools
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
• NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
Research on School Mobility (cont.)
• Students suffer psychologically, socially, and
academically from mobility; mobile students are less
likely to participate in extracurricular activities and
more likely to act out or get into trouble
• Mobility during high school greatly diminishes the
likelihood of graduation; study found students who
changed high schools even once were less than half
as likely as stable students to graduate, even
controlling for other factors
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
• NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
Research on School Mobility, cont.
• 39% of sheltered homeless children missed more
than one week of school per quarter and changed
school from two to five times in 12 months
Homelessness and Dropping Out
• There aren't national statistics on the graduation rates for
homeless youth.
• Some states have been able to disaggregate homeless student
graduation rates from other subgroups, and found that
homeless students had the lowest graduation rate/highestdrop out rate of all groups.
• The report found that young people affected by homelessness
were 87% more likely to leave school (drop out) than those
with a more stable place to live.
• This makes homelessness the highest risk factor for not
graduating on time.
A Report from America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University
Barriers to Education for
Homeless Children and Youth
• Enrollment requirements (school records,
immunizations, proof of residence and guardianship)
• High mobility resulting in lack of school stability and
educational continuity
• Lack of access to programs
• Lack of transportation
• Lack of school supplies, clothing, etc.
• Poor health, fatigue, hunger
• Prejudice and misunderstanding
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
• NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
Who is homeless?
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and
youths as…
• Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence, and includes:
– Children and youths who are sharing the housing
of other persons due to loss of housing, economic
hardship, or a similar reason;
Who is homeless, cont.
– are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or
camping grounds due to the lack of alternative
adequate accommodations;
– are living in emergency or transitional shelters;
– are abandoned in hospitals; or
– are awaiting foster care placement;
Who is homeless, cont.
– Children and youths who have a primary nighttime
residence that is a public or private place not
designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping
accommodation for human beings
– Children and youths who are living in cars, parks,
public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard
housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
and
Who is homeless, cont.
– Migratory children who qualify as homeless
for the purposes of this subtitle because the
children are living in circumstances
described (above.)
Who uses the McKinney-Vento Definition
of “homeless”?
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Elementary and Secondary Education (ED)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (ED)
Violence Against Women Act (DOJ)
Higher Education Act (ED)
Head Start Act (HHS)
Child Nutrition Act (USDA)
Washington State Data Trends
2003-04:
2004-05:
2005-06:
2006-07:
2007-08:
2008-09:
2009-10:
2010-11:
2011-12:
2012-13:
2013-14:
8,141
12,274
13,942
16,853
18,670
20,780
21,826
26,049
27,390
30,609
32,539
Nighttime Residence 2013-14
McKinney-Vento Grants
• Currently, Washington receives $950,000
(approximately $690,000 distributed to districts in the form of grants)
• Provides competitive grants to 24 sites
• Of 295 districts, 255 reported homeless
students enrolled in 2013-14
The McKinney-Vento Act
The federal McKinney-Vento Act ensures that
children and youth experiencing homelessness
are able to enroll, attend and succeed in
school. Homeless students must be able to
attend and participate fully in all school
activities, including after-school athletics, cocurricular activities and other schoolsponsored events.
Key Provisions—School Selection
• Children and youth experiencing homelessness can
stay in their school of origin or enroll in any public
school that students living in the same attendance
area are eligible to attend, according to their best
interest
• School of origin—school attended when permanently
housed or in which last enrolled
• Best interest—keep homeless students in their
schools of origin, to the extent feasible, unless this is
against the parents’ or guardians’ wishes
Determining Best Interest
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Continuity of instruction
Age of the child or youth
Safety of the child or youth
Length of stay at the shelter
Likely area where family will find permanent housing
Student’s need for special instructional programs
Impact of commute on education
School placement of siblings
Time remaining in the school year
School Districts are Required to…
• Identify homeless students
• Immediately enroll homeless students, even if they
lack records
• Maintain enrollment in the school of origin,
whenever feasible and in the best interest of the
child
• Transfer records immediately when a student moves
• Provide transportation to/from school of origin
• Resolve disputes related to enrollment and provision
of service
District requirements, cont.
• Provide comparable services
• Coordinate and collaborate with other
agencies/entities providing services to homeless
children, youth and their families
• Coordinate with state and local housing agencies
• Provide training to district staff
• Provide special services, including Special Education,
early childhood, preschool, etc.
• Set aside Title I funds to serve homeless students in
schools
Local Homeless
Education Liaisons
• Every LEA must designate a liaison for students in
homeless situations
• Responsibilities
– Ensure that children and youth in homeless
situations are identified
– Ensure that homeless students enroll in and have
full and equal opportunity to succeed in school
– Link with educational services, including preschool
and health services
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
• NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
Local Homeless
Education Liaisons (cont.)
• Inform parents, guardians, or youth of educational
and parent involvement opportunities
• Post public notice of educational rights
• Resolve disputes
• Inform parents, guardians, or youth of transportation
services, including to the school of origin
NCHE • www.serve.org/nche
• NAEHCY • www.naehcy.org
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Who are
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth?
1) Unaccompanied
Not in the physical custody of parents
2) Homeless
Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence
3) Youth
Under 21 years of age
Unaccompanied Youth:
Homeless on Their Own
• Youth may become homeless with their families, but end up
on their own due to lack of space in temp. accommodations
or shelter policies that prohibit adolescent boys
• Youth may have fled abuse and/or dysfunction in the home.
– Studies have found that 20-40% were sexually abused in their homes;
40-60% were physically abused
– Over two-thirds of callers to Runaway Hotline report
at least one of their parents abuses drugs or alcohol
– 21 – 53% of homeless youth have a history of outof-home care through the child welfare system
Toro, P. Dworsky, A. and Fowler, P. (2007). “Homeless Youth in the United States: Recent Research Findings
and Intervention Approaches.” Toward Understanding Homelessness: The 2007 National Symposium on
Homelessness Research.
Unaccompanied Youth:
Homeless on Their Own
• Youth may have been thrown out of their homes due
to sexual orientation: 20-40% of unaccompanied
youth identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender
(compared to 3-5% of adults)
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless (2007). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
youth: An epidemic of homelessness.
• Youth may have been thrown out of their homes due
to pregnancy (10% of currently homeless female
teenagers are pregnant)
Toro, P. Dworsky, A. and Fowler, P. (2007). “Homeless Youth in the United States: Recent Research Findings
and Intervention Approaches.” Toward Understanding Homelessness: The 2007 National Symposium on
Homelessness Research.
Unaccompanied Youth:
Homeless on Their Own
• As the economy worsens, some families are
forced to send older teenagers out to support
themselves
• Over half of youth living in shelters report that
their parents either told them to leave, or knew
they were leaving and did not care
Runaway Switchboard
• 32% of runaway and homeless youth have
attempted suicide at some point in their lives.
Westat, Inc. 1997. National Evaluation of Runaway and Homeless Youth. Washington, DC: US Dep't of HHS, Admin on Children, Youth and
Families. -
Higher Education and FAFSA
What About Higher Education?
Can Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Apply for Federal Financial Aid?
• Yes, with assistance from advocates
• Due to severe poverty, they are extremely
unlikely to be able to access postsecondary
education without federal student aid
FAFSA Barriers
• Youth cannot supply the information required by the
FAFSA (such as documentation)
• Youth may not know how to fill out the form and can
become overwhelmed by the amount of information
requested
• The FAFSA requires most students to provide
financial information and signatures from
parents/guardians
The Power of Partnership
• It is critical for homeless education
liaisons, counselors and service
providers to work with UHY to complete
the FAFSA and serve as intermediaries with
financial aid administrators
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
• FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid
– Cannot 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; the student’s aid package is decided factoring
in parental income and support
– For independent students, no parental signature or income and
asset information is needed; the student’s aid package is decided
solely based on the student’s finances
College Cost Reduction and Access Act
• In September of 2007, President Bush signed into law the
College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
• Included within this legislation are amendments to expand the
definition of independent student in FAFSA to include:
(1) unaccompanied homeless youth;
(2) youth who are in foster care at any time after the age
of 13 or older, and;
(3) youth who are emancipated minors or are in legal
guardianships as determined by an appropriate court in
the individual's state of residence.
College Cost Reduction Act (cont.)
• The law helps to remove barriers to accessing
financial aid for unaccompanied youth in the year in
which they experienced homelessness
• And in subsequent years, provided they are still
unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at risk of
homelessness
College Cost Reduction Act - Verification
• Verification is not required
• If choosing to verify, authorized entities are:
– a McKinney-Vento Act school district liaison
– a HUD homeless assistance program director or their
designee
– a Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program director
or their designee
– A Financial Aid Administrator (FAA)
• Sample verification template at www.naehcy.org
What Can You Do To Assist
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth?
• Inform unaccompanied homeless youth that they
can go to college, even without parental financial
support
• Provide assistance with FAFSA completion
• Connect with the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Education Liaison in your district for verification and
connection to other needed services & resources
• If you are a Liaison, VERIFY! Fill out a verification
template for every unaccompanied homeless youth
senior and make three copies
1) student 2) liaison and 3) counselor
What Can You Do To Assist
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth? (cont.)
• Contact the financial aid administrator at the college
of the student’s choice for more information about
how that institution handles determinations of
independence and dependency overrides
• Know the AVG (Application and Verification Guide)
• Provide letters attesting to the youth’s
unaccompanied and homeless status.
• Help students address barriers to higher education
or connect them with school resources that can
assist.
What Can You Do To Assist
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth? (cont.)
• Share information with other homeless liaisons,
social workers, and community service providers, so
that they are informed and able to assist (FERPA
compliance)
• Locate and develop a relationship with a state or
local college access organization in your community.
College access organizations provide counseling,
advice, and financial assistance
• Connect with local Gear Up, Trios and other
resources
Higher Education Resources – NAEHCY & NCHE
• National Association for the Education of Homeless
Children and Youth (NAEHCY)
Higher Education webpage, hotline, toolkits, legislation, summary documents,
templates:
www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/helpline
• National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
NCHE higher education information by topic,
scholarships, recommended practices, sample forms
and posters:
http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php
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NAEHCY Higher Education Helpline
1 (855) 446-2673 (toll-free)
[email protected]
• For assistance with issues related to students experiencing
homelessness accessing higher education for Financial Aid
Administrators, McKinney Liaisons, High School Counselors, Shelter
Staff and Service Providers, Unaccompanied Homeless Youth and
Parents of students experiencing homelessness.
• NAEHCY and NASFAA are working with state-level representatives
to develop statewide higher education and homelessness networks
in 6-9 states.
Resources
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction:
www.k12.wa.us/homelessed/default.aspx
National Center for Homeless Education:
www.serve.org/nche/
National Association for the Education of Homeless
Children and Youth: www.naehcy.org
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty:
www.nlchp.org
For more information…
Melinda Dyer, Program Supervisor
Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction
360.725.6050
[email protected]
For more information…
Kim Rector, Administrative Program
Specialist
Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction
360.725.6050
[email protected]