Supporting Homeless Youth in Higher Education: Best Practices

1. Best Practices to Support Homeless Youth that Access Higher Education Cyekeia Lee, Director of Higher Education Initiatives, NAEHCY NACAC Essentials of Professional Development Program 2016

2. A Closer Look at the Numbers

3. How Many Youth Experience Homelessness? National Statistics SY 2013-2014 SY 2013-2014 • 1,301,239 homeless children and youth enrolled in public schools, preK-12 • 7% increase over the previous year • 100% increase since 2006-2007 recession • 13% of all poor school aged children and youth • 30% of all extremely poor school aged children and youth • Over 90,000 unaccompanied homeless youth

4. Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights & 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 • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to the lack of adequate alternative accommodations • Living in emergency or transitional shelters • Awaiting foster care placement (until December 10, 2016)

5. Eligibility Continued • 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 For more info, see NCHE’s Determining Eligibility brief at www.serve.org/nche/briefs.php

6. Fixed, Regular, 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 Can the student go to the SAME PLACE (fixed) EVERY NIGHT (regular) to sleep in a SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?

7. Why the Broad Definition? • Shelters are often full and turn away youth • No shelters in many suburban and rural areas • Eligibility rules of often exclude unaccompanied minors • Youth may fear adult shelters • Shelters often have time limits • Youth may be unaware of alternatives, fleeing in crisis, living in over-crowded, temporary, and sometimes unsafe environments • Shelters often are a last resort after all other possibilities are exhausted

8. Homeless Youth and Higher Education Access

9. 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”

10. Paths to Being “On Our Own” • Family conflict: blended family issues, pregnancy, sexual activity or orientation, school problems, substance abuse • Abuse and/or neglect within the home • Parental incarceration, illness, hospitalization, or death • Lack of space in temporary situations or shelter policies that prohibit adolescent boys

11. Paths Continued • Child welfare 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

12. Barriers to Higher Education Access • Lack of access to parental financial information and support • Lack of financial means to live independently and safely • Inability to be financially self-sufficient once enrolled in college • Limited housing options, especially in small towns or rural areas • Struggling to balance school and other responsibilities • Lack of adult guidance and support • Lack of information about available support systems

13. Barriers Identified Through NAEHCY’s Helpline • During the 2014-15 academic year NAEHCY received over 983 calls from students, care takers, community service providers, and homeless and higher education professionals regarding homeless and foster youth • 82 calls came in from Michigan, ranks #3 for helpline calls

14. Barriers Identified Through NAEHCY’s Helpline Top 5 barriers to higher education access for homeless youth in Michigan : • Getting a Determination of their unaccompanied homeless youth status • FAFSA completion for unaccompanied homeless youth • NAEHCY Resources • Higher Education Housing • Dependency Override Appeals

15. What Barriers Do You See? • What barriers are homeless youth that access higher education experiencing in Michigan? • What barriers do homeless youth encounter outside of the school system in Michigan?

16. Financial Aid and FAFSA Basics • Expected family contribution (EFC): Families are expected to contribute to higher education costs to the extent they are able • FAFSA • New FAFSA release date October 1, (beginning 2016) • For dependent students, income and asset information required for both the student and a parent; parental signature required • For independent students, no parental signature nor income and asset information is needed

17. States With The Highest Number of UHY FAFSA Filers

18. Prior-Prior Tax Information Used to Complete FAFSA • Students and parents will now need to include add “Prior-Prior” tax information (Tax information from 2 years prior, beginning October 1, 2016) • Resources on new FAFSA release date available for students, parents, and counselors • http://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/announcement-detail.jsp?id=2017-18-fafsa-changes.

19. Example of Prior-Prior Tax Chart

20. UHY and the FAFSA

21. ONLINE FAFSA Completion

22. College Cost Reduction And Act (CCRAA) • Independent student status for unaccompanied homeless youth and self-supporting youth at risk of homelessness • Can apply for financial aid without parental signature or consideration of parental income • Must be determined by: • Local liaison • RHYA-funded shelter director or designee • HUD-funded shelter director or designee • College financial aid administrator

23. Application and Verification Guide • Updated Application and Verification Guide released in 2016 • Borrows language from NCHE’s Determining Eligibility brief • Student can use the following addresses to complete the FAFSA • Address of a reliable friend or relative • The college’s administrative address as his/her mailing address, with permission • FAA verification • Not required unless there is conflicting information • Documented interview (even via phone) is acceptable

24. USDE Dear Colleague Letter • Issued July 2015 • UHY may be 24 or younger or still enrolled in high school on the date he/she signs the FAFSA • Focuses attention on if student meets homeless status definition, not on the reason they are homeless • Clarifies the role of the Financial Aid Administrator when making determination of a students homeless status • http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/GEN1516Attach.pdf

25. Every Student Succeeds ActTransition to College Provisions • All McKinney-Vento youth must be able to receive individualized counseling from counselors to prepare and improve their readiness for college, including college selection, application, financial aid, and on-campus supports. 11432(g)(1)(K); Guidance Q1 • Liaisons must ensure unaccompanied youth are informed of their FAFSA status as independent students and obtain verification of that status. 11432(g)(6)(A)(x)(III); Guidance Q2

26. ESSA Provisions Continued • A local liaison may continue to make a determination of a youth’s status as either unaccompanied and homeless, or as self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, for as long as the liaison has access to the information necessary to make such a determination for a particular youth. 2016 Guidance, Q-2. • If a liaison does not have the information that is necessary to make the determination, either because the youth become homeless after high school, or because the liaison is no longer familiar with the youth’s circumstances, the financial aid administrator must make the determination.

27. Best Practices for Access and Retention

28. Choosing A School Students have many options to advance education beyond high school • Two-year community and junior colleges • Four-year colleges and universities • Technical, Vocational, or Trade School • http://studentaid.ed.gov/prepare-for-college/choosing-schools

29. College Search Tool http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator • general school information; • tuition, fees, and estimated student expenses; • types of financial aid provided; • net price; • enrollment; • admissions requirements; • retention and graduation rates; • accreditation; • campus security statistics; and • default rates for students with student loans

30. Best Campuses for UHY in Michigan • Name a 2-year and/or 4-year post-secondary education institution that you would refer a unaccompanied homeless youth to attend in your state? • Why would you recommend this college/university?

31. Admissions Requirements • Admission’s Advisor • Know the admissions requirements (GPA, GED, ACT, SAT) • Adhere to application deadlines for desired semester • Submit application fee • Submit additional documentation (Essay, or transcript) • Ask about alternative programs if student doesn't meet the general requirements

32. Help Students Access Fee Reductions and Waivers • AP Exam Fee Waiver • https://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/waivers/guidelines/ap • SAT Fee Waiver • https://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-fee-waivers • College Board Application Fee Waiver • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/college-application-fee-waivers • ACT Fee Waiver • http://www.actstudent.org/faq/feewaiver.html • NACAC Fee Waiver • http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/feewaiver/Pages/default.aspx • Check with college for housing, tuition deposit, and admissions fee waivers

33. Campus Support Services

34. Community Support Services

35. Navigating Multiple Support Systems

36. Statewide Networks • Convene a meeting with local stakeholders from the McKinney-Vento K-12, Foster Care, Higher Education, and RHYA/HUD shelter communities as well as other local service providers and advocates • Allow each to share knowledge about their area of expertise • UHY and independent student definitions • Financial aid • Campus and community resources • Build an action plan for serving UHY that makes sense for your community

37. NAEHCY Statewide Networks

38. Best Practices in High School • Focus on FAFSA completion! • FAFSA Week – see www.naehcy.org • Inform unaccompanied youth of college options as soon as they are identified as homeless • Make sure high school counselors know about the FAFSA policies for UHY • Arrange for students to visit local colleges and universities • Use a template for when making determinations – www.naehcy.org • Connect UHY to Gear-Up, Upward Bound, other TRIO programs • http://www.coenet.us/coe_prod_imis/COE/Home/COE/Home.aspx?hkey=040cec49-d947-4110-b9fa-1f30bef9c919

39. Michigan College Access Network • State initiative to increase college readiness, participation, and completion among low-income students, first-generation college-going students, and students of color in Michigan • 44 programs across the state • Region #10 Oakland/Wayne County • Auburn Hills United College Access Network, Detroit College Access Network, Hazel Park College Access Network, Wayne County College Access Network

40. Campus Single Point of Contact’s for Homeless Youth • Single Point of Contact (SPOC)- a supportive college administrator on each campus who is committed to helping homeless youth (and often foster youth) successfully navigate the college-going process on campuses. • SPOCs can be found in the Financial Aid, Counseling, Dean of Students, and Student Support Services offices.

41. Best Practices on Campus for SPOC’s • SPOC’s can come from any office on campus • Assist students with the following • Admissions • Financial Aid • Academic Advising • Remediation, Tutoring • Student Life • Housing, Counseling Center, Health Center, TRIO Programs (Talent Search, Upward Bound, EOC, GEAR-UP),Learning Disabilities Services, Life Skills, Financial Literacy, Mentoring Programs

42. NAEHCY Scholarship How do students apply? • http://naehcy.org/letendre-scholarship-fund/about-the-fund • Applicants must submit: • 1) A completed application form;2) An essay about the impact of homelessness on the their lives and their desire to attend college (500-1,000 words) • 3) An official school transcript • 4) A minimum of one letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or other adult who can speak to the applicant's qualifications and experiences • New application will be available in January 2017

43. Other Scholarship Resources • Horatio Alger • https://www.horatioalger.org/scholarships/index.cfm • Fastweb • http://www.fastweb.com/ • College Board • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search#! • US Department of Labor • http://www.careerinfonet.org/scholarshipsearch/ScholarshipCategory.asp?searchtype=category&nodeid=22 • Get Schooled https://getschooled.com/dashboard

44. NAEHCY Resources NAEHCY Higher Education Hotline: 855-446-2673http://www.naehcy.org • Text “NAEHCY” to 335577 • NAEHCY College Access and Success Toolkit, • http://naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf • Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Toolkits, FAFSA Week: http://naehcy.org/tk/cl.html • NAEHCY Podcast Series • http://naehcy.org/educational-resources/podcasts • FAFSA Tips for Unaccompanied Youth Without Stable Housing • Helping Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Access College Financial Aid Brief

45. Contact Information • Cyekeia Lee, Director of Higher Education Initiatives, clee@naehcy.org