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Welcome to SchoolHouse Connection!
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School-Housing Partnership Legislation Introduced
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On October 12, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced legislation to incentivize housing authorities and school districts to work together to address and prevent family homelessness. The Affordable Housing for Educational Achievement Demonstration (AHEAD) Act (S. 1949) authorizes $150 million for a new demonstration program. Under the program, school districts would apply individually or in consortia with other school districts and local housing authorities for projects to address and prevent child and family homelessness; increase socioeconomic and racial diversity; and increase academic achievement.
SchoolHouse Connection is proud to endorse the AHEAD Act.
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New ESSA Tool:
Assessing the Capacity of LEA Homeless Liaisons
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Of all of the amendments to the McKinney-Vento Act made by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the new requirement for local educational agency (LEA) liaisons to be “able to carry out” ten specific duties in the law has the potential to have the greatest impact on children and youth who are experiencing homelessness. But what does it mean for a liaison to be able to carry out his or her legal duties? And how can local educational agencies determine where improvements must be made?
We developed a simple tool to help LEAs quickly identify and prioritize areas where greater capacity is needed to carry out the law.
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Guest Perspective: “By supporting HEASHFY, You are Telling Me that You See Me, and that You Support My Education.”
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 “I want to stress the importance of the Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act (HEASHFY). I, myself was an unaccompanied homeless youth throughout high school and college and I know first-hand how homelessness can affect access to higher education. I have created a list of reasons why HEASHFY is important to me and why it will be instrumental in the lives of students experiencing homelessness.”
In this week’s Guest Perspective, Jordyn Roark provides powerful testimony in support of the Higher Education Access and Success Act for Homeless and Foster Youth, S.1795/H.R. 3740.
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The Q&A on our website is now searchable! Enter any keyword/term, and hit search. We’ve also added some new questions, including quite a few questions about the FAFSA.
Featured Q&A: FAFSA
Q: I'm helping an unaccompanied homeless youth with the FAFSA. I'm wondering how to advise him if someone is still claiming him as a dependent on their taxes, even though they are not supporting him.
A: The issue of tax claims is completely separate from the FAFSA independent student status. The FAFSA status is based on the student’s living situation. As long as the student is determined to be unaccompanied and homeless in the year in which he is submitting the application, he is considered an independent student for the FAFSA, regardless of whether someone else is fraudulently claiming him as a dependent on their taxes.
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Save the Date: Upcoming Conferences
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2018 Beyond Housing: A National Conversation on Child Homelessness and Poverty
January 10-12, 2018
Join fellow practitioners, policy makers, and service providers to share new and effective programs, solutions, and policies aimed at reducing poverty and homelessness among children and families in the US. SchoolHouse Connection will be there presenting in full force!
>>> Register for the 2018 Beyond Housing Conference
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2018 National Summit on Youth Homelessness
March 19-20, 2018
We are excited to co-sponsor an education track at the upcoming National Summit on Youth Homelessness in March 2018. Register for the National Summit on Youth Homelessness by October 31 to save.
>>> Register for the 2018 National Summit on Youth Homelessness
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Together, we can ensure that every child and youth experiencing homelessness has access to the education and support they need to end their homelessness and achieve their dreams. Support our work by donating using our online form, or by mail.