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Paula Gumina, Operati ons CoordinatorColorado Department of Educati on
Mary Giggy, F inancial Aid AdvisorAims Community Col lege
Cyekeia Lee, Director of Higher Educati on Initi ati ves
NAEHCY
Heidi Markey, Associate Director of Financial Aid
University of Denver
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty:A Blueprint for States in Supporting Unaccompanied
Homeless Youth in Achieving Postsecondary Goals
November 15, 2015
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Strategies for the creation and implementation of a statewide Single Point of Contact model;
How unaccompanied homeless youth are engaged in postsecondary workforce readiness efforts;
Efforts to support unaccompanied homeless youth from SPOCs themselves;
Promising practices in your state for building state level networks, and training and supporting SPOCs
Participants will leave with an understanding of:
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“I knew that I didn’t want to be homeless for the rest of my life, and I saw education as the sure path to a more secure future. Hard work does not intimidate; a vacuous future does. To succeed in college is to succeed in life, and never again have to live the way I am living now.”
- Ashleigh, 2005 LeTendre Scholar and Formerly Homeless Student
Move toward a brighter, more stable future
Break the Cycle of Poverty
Landscape
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In the 2013-2014 school year, 1,360,747 homeless children and youth were reported as enrolled in U.S. Public Schools
2/3 of homeless adults do not have a high school diploma or GED
10% of all children living in poverty are homeless
A National Perspective
Source: National Center for Homeless Education http://center.serve.org/nche/ and National Association for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth www.naehcy.org
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Expanded definition of “independent student” to include UHY Youth who are:
Unaccompanied and homeless, or Unaccompanied, self-supporting and at-risk of homelessness any time
during the school year in which they sign the FAFSA
CONSIDERED INDEPENDENT
College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
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Verification is not required If choose to verify, authorized entities are:
McKinney-Vento Act school district liaison
HUD homeless assistance program director or their designee
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program director or their designee
A Financial Aid Administrator (FAA)
Sample verification template at www.naehcy.org
College Cost Reduction & Access ActVerification
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July 29th Dear Colleague Letter
What is the SPOC Model?
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A safe, single point of contact (SPOC) at each college/university to serve UHY
Access Wrap- around retention model streamlined process to other services within college/university
Created common resources and processes for assisting UHY get to and through postsecondary.
It’s Replicable!
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Understand the definition of homeless used in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act
Distributing awareness materials Referring homeless students to campus office or community
agencies that can provided needed support Training, encouraging collaboration and building relationships
among offices or programs that can provide support to students in need
How SPOCs help to serve Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Single Point of Contact Model
National Efforts
State Level Partners
Grassroots efforts State Policy
• Institutions of Higher Education
• National Supports
Levels of Collaboration
Blueprint
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“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”
– Helen Keller
Who is on the bus?
FAFSA
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Strategic Opportunities
Partnership
Communication
Support
Information
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Who are the like minded champions?
What audiences can be trained to make meaningful impacts?
How can you offer supports through partnership and communication?
Where can you access meaningful data and information?
Action Planning
The Grassroots Implementers
Institutions of Higher Education
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Engaging like minded champions at the higher education campusesCreation of the “SPOC” network to continue the good work of our
K-12 district liaisons. Need for a common understanding of the LAW. Conversations around access and unnecessary barriers. Overview of McKinney-Vento program eligibility Discussions about specific situations, resources, and best practices
The First SPOC Training
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NAEHCY Higher Education Helpline and Support 1-855-446-2673
Gained the Colorado Association of Financial Aid Administrator’s support of a common verification form.
Helped revise Application and Verification Guide (AVG) for financial aid professionals.
New “Dear Colleague Letter” from the Department of Education (July 29, 2015) regarding verification and proper interview techniques.
Continued SPOC Training and Support
Maintaining What Has Been Built
Systems of Support
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Orientation email Toolkit Tip sheet Local resources and partners AVG Excerpt
Annual training Who are UHY? CCRAA Role of the SPOC Recommended Practice for Financial
Aid Administrators Building Regional Coalitions National Efforts
Technical Assistance Contact Updated SPOC list Website
http://www.cde.state.co.us/dropoutprevention/homeless_highered
Colorado Department of Education
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Updates from NAEHCY Higher Education Committee
Addressing Common Barriers
State UpdatesK-12 Liaisons
Colorado Taskforce on Higher Education for Unaccompanied
Youth Experiencing Homelessness
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Create a support system on campusHousing for Students Living on CampusAward Work-studyGift CardsCare PackagesRental Resources Food and Hygiene Pantries Familiarity with county and state support servicesCheck-ins
Don’t be afraid to advocate for your students!
Recommended Practice
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After CCRAAFederal Student Aid Handbook’s Application and Verification
Guide outlined Financial Aid process for UHY http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/1516FSAHandbookAVG.html
2015 U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague LetterClarifies Institutional role and responsibility to UHY
determinations Includes homeless status determinations for 22 and 23 year
olds meeting definition of being unaccompanied and homeless http://www.ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/GEN1516Attach.pdf
Federal Guidance
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Composed of higher education and homeless education professionals that meet regularly to discuss topics related to homeless youth and higher education access
2012 Director of Higher Education Initiatives role emerged out of growing need to support homeless youth that access higher educationStatewide networks development and TA expanded with
under NAEHCY’s HEI (Higher Education Initiative)2012 Higher Education Helpline Established: 855-446-2673 or
NAEHCY Higher Education Services Committee
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Podcast Series: http://naehcy.org/educational-resources/podcasts
Webinars: http://naehcy.org/educational-resources/webinars Toolkit:
http://naehcy.org/higher-ed/access-success-web-series
Other resources on higher education webpage: http://naehcy.org/educational-resources/higher-ed
NAEHCY Resources
National Snapshot
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Start Small
What Are Other Networks Doing?
Watch for Changes in Policy and Recommended Practice
Practice Across the Nation
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Financial Aid Determinations
State Residency
Yearlong Housing
Continued Work with Federal Student Aid
Continued Partnerships
Ongoing Legislative Efforts
Working to Address Challenges
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Cyekeia Lee, Director of Higher Educati on Initi ati ves NAEHCY
Email: [email protected] Toll-free helpline: (855)[email protected]
Paula Gumina, Operati ons CoordinatorColorado Department of Educati on P: [email protected]
Heidi MarkeyAssociate Director, AdvisingFinancial AidUniversity of DenverP: [email protected]
Mary Giggy Financial Aid AdvisorSingle Point of Contact for Independent Youth Aims Community College P: [email protected]
Thank you!
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