A basic 20 slide presentation that helps to develop awareness with staff.

Developing Staff Awareness

Strategies for Developing

Community Awareness

Choose an annual activity

For example:Have students develop greeting cards with awareness messages

Conduct clothing and personal hygiene drives

Public service announcements

PTSO’s

National Homeless Awareness Week

Other

Choose an annual activity

For example:Have students develop greeting cards with awareness messages

Conduct clothing and personal hygiene drives

Public service announcements

PTSO’s

National Homeless Awareness Week

Other

Community AwarenessCommunity Awareness

Community Awareness

Develop posters that raise the awareness about homelessness choose 10 sights in your community were you will post them.

Develop posters that raise the awareness about homelessness choose 10 sights in your community were you will post them.

Community Awareness

•Choose to address at least 3 community agencies or civic groups:

–Continuum of Cares–Community Services Offices (Welfare)–Child protective services–First Steps (0-12 months)–Birth to Three Programs–Faith Based Organizations–DV Centers

Identification Comes After Awareness

Once you become aware that a something exists, you can then

identify it

Identification• Teachers/Secrataries/Bus Drivers/Lunch Staff/Para

Educators– Will always respond to the indicators described in the

training– Eyes and ears, heartbeat for identifying students who are

doubled up/couch surfing – Provide Staff a service

• How will your services improve education for children in their classes?

• Direct Point of contact is the best practice– One person in each building to determine homeless status,

take referrals and decide direction to be taken

•Outreach 5

•Returning 53

•Word of Mouth/self identified 12

•Enrollment forms/Data base info 19

•Community Referrals 23

•Staff 65

Identification

Identification Through Out Reach

• Motels

• Shelters

• Other places individuals in transition stay

• Soup Kitchens

• Community Partners

Identification ThroughReturning Students

• Follow-up on students who were in program the previous year, are they still in transition?

Identification Through Self Identification/Word of

Mouth

• When you build trust with unaccompanied youth, they will bring you their friends

• Posters hung in the community

Identification Using Documents/Data Bases

• Is this a temporary address?– If so, is it due to economic hardship?

• Youth living “not in the physical custody of parent or guardian” often have “self” listed as the primary contact

• Kinship care– Aunt/Uncle– Grandparent

• Foster Mother/Father

Identification• Community Referrals

– Children’s Administration – Shelters’– Emergency Service Providers– Point in time homeless count– Community Action Programs– Juvenile Facilitates– Community Service Organization

Identification• Teachers/Secrataries/Bus Drivers/Lunch Staff/Para

Educators– Will always respond to the indicators described in the

training– Eyes and ears, heartbeat for identifying students who are

doubled up/couch surfing – Provide Staff a service

• How will your services improve education for children in their classes?

• Direct Point of contact is the best practice– One person in each building to determine homeless status,

take referrals and decide direction to be taken

Referral Follow-up & Needs AssessmentReferral Follow-up & Needs Assessment

In mid April a teacher has referred a student to you, this is what she tells you:

Courtney moved up here from California, she just needs a couple of credits to graduate, but she has fines at her previous high school, I understand her to be living with an aunt.

In mid April a teacher has referred a student to you, this is what she tells you:

Courtney moved up here from California, she just needs a couple of credits to graduate, but she has fines at her previous high school, I understand her to be living with an aunt.

Referral/Needs AssessmentNext Step

Collect as much information as possible, who are the students contacts?

• What are their relationship to the student? Do they have the same address?

• Does the student have siblings? • What grade is the student in?• How long have they been enrolled?• What’s their attendance history look like?

Referrals/Needs Assessments

• By looking at the data base your able to glean that Courtney most likely lives with her father and her aunt, that she is in grade 12, and she has two younger brothers one in high school one in 5th grade.

• Contact the family

Referrals/Needs Assessment

• Always provide families with information on their rights

• Needs Assessment• This is two part • One part being what the student and family

need to reduce their barriers to education• Second part what teachers perceive as being

barriers to education

• ASB cards• Fees

– Shop – Jewelry – Art– Photography

• Walking and receiving diplomas

• Caps/gowns• SATs• College applications• Personal hygiene products

Referrals/Needs Assessmentpossible barriers

•Transcripts from previous school•Access to meal services•Clean clothing to attend school•Transportation

–Rerouting busses–Bus passes–Volunteer drivers

•Clothing•School supplies•Access to community resources

Services Available To Transitioning Families and Unaccompanied Youth: Clothing: Some new some used, new items socks and underwear, we have good quality second hand clothing as well. Laundry: If clean clothing is keeping a homeless student from attending school we have services available to help students clean their clothing. Transportation: We can help with transportation as well. The easiest way is the use of school busses, but they can’t always be used. We do have bus passes, and can help with schedules. Personal Hygiene: Deodorant Shaving cream Razors Tampons Pads Soap Shampoo Conditioner Hand lotion Wash clothes Advocate: We can help you when you need something from the school district or from other places in the community. If a homeless student has fines at previous schools or a homeless student would like to attend a school that is not the one in his/her neighborhood, we can look at the situation and help advocate when needed. Referral: We can make referrals to other places that offer services, and we know the services provided pretty good so, feel free to ask, we’ll try to help.

Families In Transition at Harbor High 538-2253

School Supplies Paper Backpacks Notebooks Folders 3 ring binders Dividers Erasers Pencils/pens Pencil holder Alarm clocks

TRANSIT I ONI NG STUDENTS IDE NTI FI CATION OF BARRIE RS AND SUPPORT PLAN

Date____ ___ ___ Review Date_____ ___ ___ Requested by___ ___ ______ Student____ ___ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ _____ ___ __School ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Grade__ ___ ____ Teacher ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ Family Barriers . ___Has the student made statements about that not being able to afford

food, clothing. etc.? ___Has the student said that he/she does not have lights or heat? ___D oes the student talked about fights between adults? ___Has the student mentioned having to care for siblings? ___Has the student mentioned parental use alcohol or drugs? ___Has the student mentioned parents are sleeping during the day? ___Has student mentioned that he/she couldn’t sleep because of activity or noises throughout the night? ___Has the student said that their parents wouldn’t bring them to school? ___Do you know the highest level of education attained by the parents? ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ Attendance Barriers Effect on Academics/Education ___Untimely enrollment ___High Absenteeism rate ___Exce ssive Tardi ness ___C onsistently unprepared: no homework books, papers requiring signatures ___ I nability to complete homework ___Lo ss of school supplies, books ___Gaps in knowledge and skills ___Undiagnosed or untreated learning disabilities ___Lack of required documentation ___Transportation Iss ues

Physical/Health Barriers Effect on Academics/Education ___Clothing is unclean ___Clothing is worn 2 or more times consecutively ___ I nsuf ficient or lack of adequate school clothing ___P oor personal hygiene ___F requent health problems ___Untreated health issues ___F requent/Chronic hunger: __Asks to take food home __Talks about food a lot __Comments about not having food ___Exhibited evidence of physical abuse

Social/Emotional Barriers Effect on Academics/Education ___P oor social adjustment ___Lack of acceptance by peers ___Expre ssed feelings of not belonging ___Lo w self-esteem ___Extreme shyness, nervousness, and withdrawal ___D ifficulty establishing relationships and

building trust ___Social isolation Barrier Identification will be completed by this date: __ __ ___ ___ ___ ____ Increased support will look like:

Resources

• Drives– Love your neighbor drive surrounding

valentines day– Penny drives

• Service Learning Projects– High school students looking to complete

volunteer/service learning activities and senior projects

Resources• AmeriCorps

– CAP project required – $5,000 for 40 hours a week/10.5 months

• College students• Youth Groups

– Clothing collections prior to back to school

• Faith Based Organization– Filled Back Packs

Resources

• PTSO’s– Asking Post's to participate in the

education of transitioning students in their schools

• $100 gift cards• Gas vouchers• Shoes/sports related activities

• Start your own nonprofit

Service Delivery

• From the time you identify a family as being in transition to the end of the year you are “delivering services”

• Different levels and those costs to schools

Service Delivery

• The Basics-What’s required of you as a liaison– remove “barriers” to education

Cost of Services Delivery• School Supplies $• Enrollment no• Transportation $?• Meals no• Clothing no• Laundry Vouchers $• Fines and Fees no• Provision of Rights no• Transcripts no

•Accessing Financial Aid Time

•Scholarship Applications Time

•College Applications $Time

•Cap and Gown $

Service Delivery

Services Delivery• Monitor attendance Time• Monitor Grades Time• Advocacy Time• Accessing Comm Services Time

– Food stamps– Medical– Reproductive Health– Emergency Services

Service Delivery

• Follow-up and on going

• Decide how often you will check in on students

• Follow through

• Glean for possible moves