Homeless students are seeing unprecedented levels of funding support as districts work to stem one of the most troubling enrollment drops of the last few years. K-12 leaders are now sharing the strategies and programs they are employing to bring back the one in five homeless students who left school during the pandemic.
One of the reasons for that drop may be that fewer than 20 percent of districts received funds from the first round of ESSER money (the CARES Act) to identify and support students experiencing homelessness, according to this month’s “Progress and Promise” report by nonprofit SchoolHouse Connection.
New data shows that the American Rescue Plan-Homeless Children and Youth program will not only increase sixfold the number of districts getting funding for homeless students but that K-12 leaders will have more flexibility in spending the money. This includes districts that haven’t been receiving grants under the federal McKinney-Vento program for students experiencing homelessness. ARP allows K-12 leaders to use the funds for:
- Staffing and capacity building
- Outreach and identification
- Transportation
- Housing-related supports
- Prepaid debit and store cards
- Academic support
- Wrap-around services
- Early childhood
- Postsecondary planning and transition
“Just as funding to schools provided by COVID relief packages prior to the American Rescue Plan failed to reach most students experiencing homelessness because it was not designed for them, other federal education programs more generally geared toward disadvantaged students also fall short,” the report says.
Helping homeless students
Here’s a look at how K-12 leaders are now using relief funds to implement strategies and programs to better support homeless students:
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1. Capital School District (Delaware) is working to improve communication with homeless families by giving homeless families low-cost cell phones with unlimited data and minutes for two years. The district added school-related apps and phone numbers to the phones to facilitate direct contact between families and support staff. The district is also planning to build an off-site service center that gives families access to computers, food and laundry facilities, among other services.
2. Coos Bay School District (Oregon) is using ARP funds to hire more staff to work at its drop-in center, which provides homeless families with basic needs, such as laundry services, after-school homework support, showers, and food. The district will also launch a program that finds families who are willing to host homeless students in their homes and expand transportation services that include an “open tab” with local cab companies.
3. Taos Municipal Schools (New Mexico) is expanding its identification efforts and the wraparound services it offers to homeless families. After adding four new staff members, the district has identified more Native American students who are experiencing homelessness. Staff members are also delivering school supplies during breaks and holidays to identified students. The district is funding before- and after-school care, including tutoring, at several of its schools. The district now plans to provide case management services to families in motels and to those who are being evicted.
4. At Saint Paul Public Schools, (Minnesota), a team of teacher’s assistants and part-time social workers are now working to re-enroll students who left the district during the pandemic and to develop attendance plans for those kids. Funds are also being used to expand credit-recovery programs for high school students and increase access to summer school. The district has teamed up with a local nonprofit to pay stipends and provide high school credits to homeless students who participate in community service projects. Finally, Saint Public school is partnering with two local shelters to send families on field trips.
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5. Boston Public Schools is expanding its case management partnerships with local housing agencies to provide families with housing vouchers and help them complete housing applications, find housing and sign leases. The district and its partners have also launched the Emergency Homelessness Intervention Program to increase family access to shelters, healthcare and financial assistance.
6. The homeless liaison at Richland County School District 1 (South Carolina) is now supported by two new staff members, including a case manager to focus on outreach and identification. Richland One is also now partnering with the NAACP to host clinics to connect families with housing and legal resources.
