For Financial Aid Administrators
For almost all of my life, I have never had a place to call home. I have
questioned why I have to struggle so hard to succeed while others do
not have to question whether they will go to college. However, there is
one thing I have never questioned: My education.
Khadijah Williams, Harvard University Class of 2014
1
Our Agenda
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Basic overview of the McKinney-Vento Act
What about unaccompanied homeless youth?
Unaccompanied homeless youth and the FAFSA
How Financial Aid Administrators and college staff
can support unaccompanied youth in high school
and beyond
MV-FAFSA Week “Get Your Ticket to Your Future!”
Getting Started…
Poll
•
Do you know what a McKinney-Vento Homeless
Education Liaison is?
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Do you know where to find a list of your local school
district liaisons?
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Do you network with homeless liaisons in your local
school districts?
The McKinney-Vento Act and Liaisons

The McKinney-Vento Act
 Federal education law (NCLB Title X, Part C)
 Designed to ensure school access and promote school
success for children and youth who are considered
“homeless”.

Every school district must designate a McKinneyVento Liaison.
 The key to McKinney-Vento Act implementation.
 Ensures identification, enrollment, transportation,
services, dispute resolution, and awareness.
Basic McKinney-Vento Act overview

State education agencies have MV State
Coordinators who oversee implementation and
ensure compliance.
 Contact information available at
center.serve.org/states/state_resources.php
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Local education agencies have MV Liaisons.
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LEAs must provide homeless students with
immediate enrollment (even if lacking documents),
full participation and school stability (ability to
remain in “school of origin” and receive
transportation).
 More information available at www.naehcy.org
Who is Considered
“Homeless”
by the McKinney-Vento Act?

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
 71% of identified homeless students
 Where would you go if you couldn’t stay here?
 What led you to move in to this situation?
Who is Considered “Homeless”? (cont.)

Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping
grounds due to lack of adequate alternative
accommodations
[Motels: 5% of identified homeless students]
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Living in emergency or transitional shelters
[19% of identified homeless students]
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Living in a public or private place not designed for
humans to live
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Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings,
substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar
settings
Who is Considered “Homeless”? (cont.)
 Migratory children living in above
circumstances
 Awaiting foster care placement
 Less applicable for higher education issues due to
the CCRAA’s provision that students in foster care
at age 13 or older are considered independent
students
 Unaccompanied youth in any of these living
situations
Why is the Definition so Broad?
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Shelters are often full, turning youth away
There are no shelters in many suburban/rural areas
Eligibility rules of shelters often exclude
unaccompanied minors
Youth may fear adult shelters
Shelters often have 30-, 60-, or 90-day 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
Determining Eligibility

Case-by-case eligibility determinations
 NCHE’s “Determining Eligibility” brief, available at:
center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/det_elig.pdf
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Get as much information as possible.
 Sensitivity: Avoid the word “homeless”.
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Consult with a MV liaison.
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Strategies for identification and verification are
available in NAEHCY’s Unaccompanied Youth Toolkit
Checking in…
Poll
Do you know how many youth are experiencing
homelessness in your school or community?
How many children and youth
experience homelessness?
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10-20% of all children and youth living in poverty
experience homelessness over the course of a year.
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Nationwide, 939,903 homeless students identified
by public schools in the 2009-10 school year.
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An increase of 38% since 2006-07 (start of the
economic downturn).
What about
unaccompanied youth?
Youth who are experiencing homelessness and not
in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.
 No upper or lower age limit– must be eligible for
public education in the state.
 Nearly one in five youth run away from home before
turning 18; 30% of them run three times or more.
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School districts with McKinney-Vento funds (fewer
than one in five) identified 65,317 unaccompanied
youth; a 51% increase over three years.
What causes homelessness
among unaccompanied youth?
 Family dysfunction
 Conflict with step-parents
 Conflict over youth’s sexual orientation: 20-40% of
unaccompanied youth identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual
or transgender (compared to 3-5% of adults).
 Conflict over youth’s pregnancy.
 48% of street youth have been pregnant or impregnated
someone.
 10% of currently homeless female teenagers are
pregnant.
What causes homelessness
among unaccompanied youth? (cont)
 Family violence
 Studies have found that 20-40% of unaccompanied
youth were sexually abused in their homes, while 4060% were physically abused.
 Over two-thirds of callers to Runaway Hotline report
that at least one of their parents abuses drugs or
alcohol.
 21 – 53% of homeless youth have a history of out-ofhome care through the child welfare system.
What causes homelessness
among unaccompanied youth? (cont)
 Loss of parents
 Incarceration, illness, death
 Forced separation
 Lack of space in temporary accommodations
 Shelter policies that prohibit adolescent boys
 Family cannot afford to care for older youth
“But the student
chose to leave home…”
McKinney-Vento eligibility is based on where the
youth is currently living : Is it fixed, regular and
adequate?
 A youth can be eligible regardless of whether he/she
was asked to leave the home or “chose” to leave
 Often, there is “more than meets the eye” in a
youth’s home life.
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 Are there reasons a youth might not want to reveal the
truth about his/her home situation?
 Are there reasons a parent might not want to reveal the
truth about the home situation?
Scenario: Jeremy
Jeremy is a 19 year old college sophomore. He was
kicked out of his house over the summer. He’d had
problems getting along with his stepmom for some
time and the level of conflict had gotten out of control.
He went to live with his friend, Kevin, but Kevin’s
parents said Jeremy can only stay there for a month or
so.
According to McKinney-Vento, is Jeremy an unaccompanied
homeless youth?
Other questions?
Unaccompanied Homeless
Youth and the FAFSA
 Unaccompanied homeless youth, and self-
supporting youth at risk of homelessness, are
automatically independent students for the
FAFSA.
 Established by the CCRAA.
 They do not have to provide a parental signature
or parental income information.
Definitions
 Unaccompanied and homeless: Same as
McKinney-Vento Act definition.
 Includes a student living in the dorms if s/he would
otherwise be homeless.
 Includes a homeless student fleeing an abusive
parent, even if the parent would provide housing.
 At risk of homelessness: When a student’s
housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and
adequate.
 Youth: 21 years old or younger.
Verification
 Status must be verified in the school year
when the application is submitted, by:
 MV liaison,
 RHYA-funded shelter or transitional living
program director or designee,
 HUD-funded shelter or transitional living
program director or designee, OR
 College Financial Aid Administrator (FAA)
HUD and RHYA Basics
 HUD = The U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
 Provides funding to local communities through an
annual competitive process for providing supportive
housing to people experiencing homelessness (e.g.
emergency shelter and transitional housing).
 RHYA = The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act
 Provides funding to local agencies for providing housing
specifically for unaccompanied homeless youth (street
outreach, basic centers, and transitional living
programs).
Independent Status for
Unaccompanied Youth (cont.)
 The FAFSA contains 3 questions specifically
about unaccompanied youth.
 One for those verified by MV liaison; one for those
verified by RHYA providers; one for those verified by
HUD providers
 For students without a verification:
 The College FAA must make a determination.
 Homeless or at-risk/self-supporting students
age 22 or 23 are eligible for a dependency
override.
The Role of the FAA
According to the Application and Verification
Guide, if a student does not have, and cannot get,
documentation from a MV liaison, RHYA provider,
or HUD provider, a FAA must make a
determination of homeless/unaccompanied
status.
 This is not an “exercise of professional judgment”
or a “dependency override”.
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 Except for homeless or at-risk/self-supporting students
age 22 or 23: they should be processed as dependency
overrides.
 2012-2013 will resolve this inconsistency for 22-23 yos.
2011-2012 AVG
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Provides guidance on verification by FAAs
 Verification is not required unless there is conflicting information.
 Permits a FAA to verify the status with a documented interview.
 Permits FAAs to accept verification from recognized third-parties
such as other homeless shelters and service providers, FAAs from
another college, college access programs such as TRIO and GEAR
UP, college or high school counselors, other mental health
professionals, social workers, mentors, doctors, and clergy.
 Encourages discretion and sensitivity when gathering information
 Some information may be confidential (e.g. protected by doctorpatient privilege)
 Child welfare and police reports are not necessary
 Recommends consulting with MV liaisons, State Coordinators, and
NCHE.
 Eligibility determinations may be appealed to the U.S. Department
of Education
How Is It Working?
2009-2010 Data
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Total Number of Applicants for Independent Status –
8,807,210
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Total Number of Applicants who indicated a homeless
circumstance – 32,232 (.38% of total independent
applicants)
 Determined by MV Liaison: 10,549 applicants
 Determined by HUD provider: 5,219 applicants
 Determined by RHYA provider: 10,238 applicants
How Is It Working?
2010-2011 Data
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Total Number of Applicants for Independent Status –
12,149,074
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Total Number of Applicants who indicated a homeless
circumstance – 33,039 (.27% of total independent
applicants)
 Determined by MV Liaison: 13,789 applicants
 Determined by HUD provider: 9,991 applicants
 Determined by RHYA provider: 5,659 applicants
How Is It Working?
2011-2012 Data (through Aug. 31, 2011)
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Total Number of Applicants for Independent Status –
10,028,391
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Total Number of Applicants who indicated a homeless
circumstance – 22,296 (.22% of total independent
applicants)
 Determined by MV Liaison: 13,267 applicants
 Determined by HUD provider: 4,679 applicants
 Determined by RHYA provider: 3,664 applicants
Scenario: Amber
Amber had to leave home the summer before her
senior year in high school, when her mom was
incarcerated. Amber’s father has never been a part of
her life. Amber has been staying with different relatives
since then, but none has been willing to assume legal
guardianship or provide financial support. She’s now
starting to apply for colleges and is concerned about
having enough money to attend. She doesn’t think she
ever met a homeless liaison in her high school.
According to McKinney-Vento, is Amber an unaccompanied
homeless youth?
How could you help Amber get financial aid for college?
Let’s Get Practical.
 How can colleges and universities support
unaccompanied youth in high school and
beyond?
 Institutions of higher education first and
foremost are educational agencies.
 Their primary responsibility and goal is to enroll and
educate in accordance with federal law, which
supersedes state and local law
 They do not need to understand and/or agree with all
aspects of a student’s home life to educate him/her
and comply with federal educational mandates.
Strategies for Colleges and Universities
 Contact your local school district MV
liaison, high schools or MV State
Coordinator.
 What efforts are already underway to
support homeless students in school
districts you work with?
 How can you participate?
Strategies for Colleges and Universities
 Work to identify unaccompanied
homeless youth at your school.
 Post information publicly in strategic locations
throughout campus.
 Posters are available in our NAEHCY
Unaccompanied Youth Toolkits.
 Create awareness of the issue among staff,
particularly those working in the area of
financial aid, admissions, recruitment, and
support for low-income students.
Strategies for Colleges and Universities
 Create a process for verification that is
sensitive to the unique needs of these youth.
 Conduct the interview within the same day of their
college/university visits if at all possible.
 Do not interview the youth in front of others.
 If they do not have paperwork, work with them.
 Let them use resources that may not be readily
available to them, such as the phone or fax
machine.
 More verification strategies and tools are available
as part of NAEHCY’s Unaccompanied Youth
Toolkit.
Strategies for Colleges and Universities
 Help youth connect with on-campus support
services.
 Refer unaccompanied students to student support
services, tutors, counselors, etc. upon admission,
including programs for students coming out of
foster care (needs often are similar).
 Establish coordination between financial aid
offices, student support services, and campus
housing.
 Establish a food and clothing bank on campus.
 Establish a mentoring program for unaccompanied
homeless youth.
Strategies for Colleges and Universities
 Help youth connect with housing,
employment, and community services.
 Give unaccompanied youth priority for on-campus jobs
that provide housing, such as Resident Advisor or Dorm
Monitor.
 Give unaccompanied youth priority for other on-campus
jobs, such as work in the dining hall, bookstores or college
tour guides.
 Plan housing for homeless students when dormitories
close; ideas include leaving one residence hall open or
establishing a list of “host homes” in the community.
 Give youth a list of contact addresses, websites and phone
numbers for community services, and offer assistance in
connecting with services such as health and mental health
care and SNAP/Food Stamps.
Strategies for Colleges and Universities
 Create a network.
 Convene a meeting with local stakeholders from the
McKinney-Vento K-12 and Higher Education
communities.
 Share knowledge about your area of expertise.
 Higher Ed: Financial aid
 MV Liaisons: McKinney-Vento definition and community
resources for homelessness
 Build an action plan for serving unaccompanied
homeless youth that makes sense for your community.
 Examples of networks: Colorado, Michigan, North
Carolina
How Will You Get Started?
What will be your first steps to support
unaccompanied youth in your college or
university this semester?
Check out NAEHCY’s Unaccompanied
Youth Toolkit for FAAs, for more tools
and resources, at www.naehcy.org.
For support and information

National Association for the Education of Homeless
Children and Youth (NAEHCY)
http://www.naehcy.org
http://www.naehcy.org/higher_ed.html
http://www.naehcy.org/letendre_ab.html

National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators (NASFAA)
http://www.nasfaa.org
For support and information (cont.)

National Center for Homeless Education
http://center.serve.org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php
http://center.serve.org/nche/best/higher_ed.php
800-308-2145 or homeless@serve.org

College Goal Sunday
http://www.collegegoalsundayusa.org/

Office of Postsecondary Education
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/index.html

Runaway Switchboard
http://www.1800runaway.org