Supporting College students Dealing with Homelessness through Assets

The U.S. Division of Schooling‘s Schooling for Homeless Kids and Youth Program and funds can be found to supply educators and group members wishing to assist weak youth. In Half I, Half II, and Half III of this interview, the U.S. Division of Schooling’s and Schooling for Homeless Kids and Youth Program’s John McLaughlin, Ed.D. and Heather Denny, M.Ed., shared COVID-19’s influence on youth experiencing homelessness, how help workers may help such college students, and particular concerns within the space of trauma. On this last installment of the interview, McLaughlin and Denny share extra insights into what will be carried out to help college students. McLaughlin’s solutions start first.

Is there something you need so as to add about sources obtainable?

On the most basic degree, for the American Rescue Plan Homeless Kids and Youth Program, we do have a Website that has sources, state plans, and all of our steering. Equally, we’ve a program Website for McKinney-Vento.

Now we have a Website for the Nationwide Heart for Homeless Schooling, too, that incorporates a wealth of sources and, thus, could also be onerous to navigate. In case you click on “Assets,” you’ll see we’ve many written merchandise for state coordinators and native liaisons, like a handbook and a 250-page toolkit. There are briefs that Nationwide Heart for Homeless Schooling developed its personal (that we cleared), after that are exterior sources for serving youngsters and youth experiencing homelessness. You can even seek for info by matter, or you’ll be able to click on “Matters” to look beneath totally different subjects like trauma-informed care or postsecondary schooling or meals insecurity. Whereas it is quite a bit to navigate, I’d actually encourage folks to have a look at it.

[Denny answers below, as well.]

One other good place to search for info on trauma is the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration Website. They’ve plenty of sources round trauma and notably round trauma in faculties.

[McLaughlin answers again, below.]

Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration runs System of Care, which is usually for at-risk youth who’re often in youngster welfare and juvenile justice, and wrap-around providers positively is a key piece of their mannequin.

[Denny answers again, below.]

Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration additionally affords college local weather grants and helps fairly a bit of college psychological well being by grant-funded packages.

The rest? [McLaughlin answers again, below.]

Our program was once within the Workplace of Secure and Wholesome College students. It is now Secure and Supportive Faculties, and so they do run a middle, the Nationwide Heart on Secure and Supportive Studying Environments, and that would come with technical help funded by the division on subjects like college local weather and psychological well being. For instance, I do know they’re doing a sequence of webinars on trafficking and prevention of trafficking (homeless youth are notably weak for grooming for issues like that), so we made certain that our state coordinators and liaisons who subscribe to Nationwide Heart for Homeless Schooling’s listserv all find out about it, to allow them to be a part of.

Whereas the influence of homelessness on our youngsters and youths is heartbreaking, it’s not solely necessary but additionally is reassuring to find out about every little thing that is obtainable and every little thing that is being carried out to assist our weak college students.

We do really feel fortunate that we get to do inherently rewarding, significant work. We’re nonetheless bureaucrats, and we’ve these days, however we do really feel a direct reference to the scholars we serve and their households as a result of they do electronic mail and name us. I’d say additionally that anybody who reads this may contact Nationwide Heart for Homeless Schooling; they’ve a hotline (1-800-308-2145) and electronic mail deal with ([email protected]). Now we have state coordinators in each State Division of Schooling and so they need to publish a listing of native liaisons for each college district, so it’s doable to seek out out what sources can be found at a neighborhood degree.

Thanks on your time and for what you’re doing to assist youth.

Half IV of IV.