luke heller, homeless education liaison buncombe county ... · luke heller, homeless education...

Luke Heller, Homeless Education Liaison

Buncombe County Schools

828-775-1898

Lucas.heller@bcsemail.org

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

NCHE operates the U.S. Department of Education’s

technical assistance and information center in the

area of homeless education

Website: www.serve.org/nche

Helpline: 800-308-2145 or homeless@serve.org

Listserv – to join, contact bhartnes@serve.org

Online tutorials and trainings:

http://www.serve.org/nche/training.php

Professional Learning Community

http://center.serve.org/nche/web/plc.php

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

10% of all children living in poverty will experience homelessness

1 in 50 children will experience homelessness

Over 40% of all children who are homeless are under the age of 5

Over 939,000 enrolled in U.S. public schools 2009-2010

21,300 enrolled in NC public schools in 2009-2010

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence— ◦ Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason

◦ Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations

◦ Living in emergency or transitional shelters

◦ Abandoned in hospitals

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

◦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/train stations, etc.

◦Migratory children living in any of the above circumstances

◦Unaccompanied youth who are experiencing the above circumstances

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

Fixed: Stationary, permanent, and not subject to change

Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis (e.g. nightly)

Adequate: Sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments Consider: Can the student go to the SAME PLACE

(fixed) EVERY NIGHT (regular) to sleep in a SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?

Guiding principle: case-by-case determination

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

Has the family lost its housing due to hardship or economic crisis?

Is this a temporary arrangement? Is the situation fixed, regular, and

adequate? Where would the family be if it weren’t

staying with family or friends?

Review NCHE’s Determining Eligibility brief: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/det_elig.pdf

NC Primary Nighttime Residence by Category 2009-2010

GCS Primary Nighttime Residence by Category 2009-2010

Buncombe Residence by Category as of 1/23/2012

motel, 18, 8%

shelter, 9, 4%

unaccompanied,

11, 5%

vehicle, 1, 0%

camper, 4, 2%

camper

doubled up

motel

shelter

unaccompanied

vehicle

Doubled up, 172, 80%

Are things getting better?

386 …

Total Homeless Identified Students in Buncombe County Schools

2011-12 2012-13

294 352

2010-11 2009-10

Where are we now?

132 216

As of October 18,

2011 2012

Buncombe County schools had identified

homeless youth for that school year.

112 139

2010 2009

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

Homeless youth may be designated as Independent Students in order to apply for federal financial aid without parental information (College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007) ◦ Verification

Local Liaisons

RHYA shelter providers

HUD shelter providers

Financial Aid Administrators – must use MV definition

Fee waivers for ACT /SAT Summary of Homeless Access Provisions:

www.naehcy.org/dl/avg1011summary.doc

National Center for Homeless Education – www.serve.org/nche

NCHE website: www.serve.org/nche

NCHE helpline: 800-308-2145 or homeless@serve.org

Other national organizations: NAEHCY (www.naehcy.org) NLCHP (www.nlchp.org)