Supporting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in Accessing Higher Education

1. Supporting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in Accessing Higher Education Guest Presenters Beth Bullock Johnson bethbullock77@gmail.com Christine Craft ccraft@henderson.k12.nc.us Laura Misner lmisner@cfnc.org NCHE Presenters Diana Bowmandbowman@serve.org Jan Moorejmoore@serve.org

2. Meet NCHE and NC HECHY The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) operates the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance and information center in the area of homeless education; www.serve.org/nche; Helpline: 800-308-2145 or homeless@serve.org The NC Higher Education Collaborative on Homeless Youth (HECHY) seeks to smooth the transition to college for unaccompanied students who areexperiencing homelessness.

3. Today’s Plan • McKinney-Vento Act • Unaccompanied homeless youth and independent student status • College support networks and initiatives • SPOC Responsibilities • Resources

4. Welcome Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) • 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

5. K-12 Homeless Students in NC

6. M-V McKinney-Vento Act:Highlights • Title X, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) • Focuses on K-12, but includes transition to college, especially with College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) • Local liaison in every school district • State Coordinator in every state • Key themes • Support for school access and success • School stability • Student-centered, best interest decision making

7. Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and 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 (“doubling up”) • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters

8. Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services (cont.) • 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

9. Fixed, Regular, and 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 • 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)?

10. Why theBroad Definition? • Shelters are often full, turning youth away • No shelters in many suburban and rural areas • Eligibility rules of shelters often exclude unaccompanied minors • Youth may fear adult shelters • Shelters often have short stay limits • Youth may be unaware of alternatives, fleeing in crisis, living in overcrowded, temporary, and sometimes unsafe situations • Shelters often are a last resort

11. Doubled-Up • McKinney-Vento defines doubled-up as “sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason”

12. Doubled Up -Determining Eligibility • Questions to consider: • 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?

13. Who are Unaccompanied Homeless Youth? • 2-step process to determine eligibility • Does the student’s living arrangement meet the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless? • Once homelessness is determined, is the student unaccompanied? • Unaccompanied = “not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian”; in practical terms, the youth does not live with a parent or guardian

14. Paths to BeingOn Your Own • 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, illness, hospitalization, or death

15. Paths to BeingOn Your Own (cont.) • Foster care 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 • 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

16. “But, the student chose to leave…” • 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

17. Barriers for UHY • Financial • Lack means to live independently & safely • Not self-sufficient once enrolled in college • Housing • Limited options, especially in small towns and rural areas • Nowhere to go when dorms close • Support • Struggle to balance school, work, etc. • Unfamiliar with available support systems • Lack of adult guidance and advocacy

18. Scenario: Sarah Sarah was kicked out of her house after high school graduation. She’d had problems getting along with her stepdad for some time and the level of conflict got out of control. 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. • Is Sarah an unaccompanied homeless youth? • Other questions?

19. College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) • Expanded definition of independent student includes: • unaccompanied and homeless or • unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at-risk of homelessness (“when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate”) • Uses McKinney-Vento definition of homeless • Includes a student: • living in dorm if he/she would otherwise be homeless • fleeing an abusive parent, even if the parentwould provide housing and support

20. College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) (cont.) • Independent student status determined by: • Local liaison (school district) • RHYA-funded shelter director or designee • HUD-funded shelter director or designee • College Financial Aid Administrator

21. Identify Contacts in Your Area • Local Liaisons - NC http://center.serve.org/hepnc/nc_pol.php#local • State Coordinator - NCLisa Phillips, lphillip@serve.org, 800-659-3204 • All other State Coordinator contact info http://center.serve.org/nche/states/state_resources.php • HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). Local Office Directory http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/localoffices • RHYA (Runaway and Homeless Youth Act) Grantees http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/grants/fysb-grantees

22. 2012-13 Online FAFSA

23. 2012-13 Online FAFSA: More Information

24. 2012-13 Application and Verification Guide • Language from NCHE’s Determining Eligibility brief • Student can use the college’s administrative address as his/her mailing address • UHY may be 21 or younger or still enrolled in high school when FAFSA is signed • Students who don’t meet the definition of youth (21 and under) but who are unaccompanied and homeless or self supporting and at risk of homelessness qualify for dependency override

25. 2012-13 Application and Verification Guide (cont.) • 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

26. Role of the FAA • Be familiar with McKinney-Vento definition of homeless and apply it on case-by-case basis • Make a determination of homeless/ unaccompanied status if a student does not have, and cannot get, documentation from a liaison or shelter director • Is not a professional judgment or dependency override for youth 21 and younger • Consult with local liaisons, State Coordinators, or NCHE • Be reasonable and sensitive when requesting information from students

27. Scenario: Samuel Samuel’s mom was incarcerated the summer before his senior year in high school, so Samuel had to leave home. Since his father has never been a part of his life, Samuel doesn’t even know if he’s still alive. Samuel has been staying with different relatives and friends since then, but none are willing to assume legal guardianship or provide financial support. He’s starting to apply for colleges and is concerned about having enough money to attend. • Is Samuel an unaccompanied homeless youth? • Other questions?

28. College Support Networks and Initiatives:Best Practices

29. Identifying Unaccompanied Youthon Your Campus • Post information publicly in strategic locations throughout 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 • 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

30. Supporting Unaccompanied Students in Your Institution • Refer students to campus and community support services upon admission • Establish coordination between financial aid offices, student support services, and campus housing • Start a food and clothing bank on campus • Implement alternate housing plan when dorms close: leave one residence hall open or establish a list of “host homes” in community • Begin a mentoring program

31. Creating a Local Network • Convene a meeting of all stakeholders: McKinney-Vento K-12, Higher Education, and local communities • Share knowledge about your area of expertise • Higher education: Financial aid • Local liaisons: Identifying and serving students • Community partners: Resources for homeless • Develop an action plan for serving UHY that fits your community • Examples of state networks: CO, MI, NC

32. NC HECHY • Members from National Center for Homeless Education, NC Homeless Education Program, public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, public schools, NC State Education Assistance Agency, and others • Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for homeless students on every NC campus. http://www.cfnc.org/static/pdf/home/sc/pdf/SPOC_List.pdf • Presentations and publications • Interested in joining? Contact Jan Moore, jmoore@serve.org or 800-308-2145

33. Foundational Documents • Application and Verification Guide 2012-2013: Dependency Status (excerpt) • Making Student Status Determinations for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: Tool for Financial Aid Administrators • 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 • NCHE/NASFAA awareness poster Webinar handouts at http://center.serve.org/nche/web/nc_spoc.php

34. For more information National Center for Homeless Education Higher Education page:http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php NCHE helpline: 800-308-2145 or homeless@serve.org NC Homeless Education Program http://center.serve.org/hepnc/ National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Higher Education page:http://www.naehcy.org/educational-resources/helpline