UNDERSTANDING DOUBLED-UP NATIONAL CENTER FOR HOMELESS EDUCATION

UNDERSTANDING DOUBLED-UP NATIONAL CENTER FOR HOMELESS EDUCATION HTTP://NCHE.ED.GOV [email protected]

GET TO KNOW NCHE The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) operates the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance center for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program Website: http://nche.ed.gov Helpline: 800-308-2145 or [email protected] Products: https://nche.ed.gov/resources/ Webinars: https://nche.ed.gov/group-training/ Listserv: https://nche.ed.gov/resources/ (click Resources tab) Twitter: @NCHEducation Facebook: facebook.com/NCHEducation

SETTING THE CONTEXT The McKinney-Vento Act – Primary federal legislative response to homelessness – Subtitle VII-B focuses on the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness

SETTING THE CONTEXT The McKinney-Vento Act – Establishes the definition of homeless used by schools and the rights given to eligible students – Ensures that children and youth experiencing homelessness have equal and immediate access to public education – Provides educational support to promote school success Download or order NCHE educational rights posters at https://nche.ed.gov/downloads/

MCKINNEY-VENTO REAUTHORIZATION The education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Act was reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act in December 2015 All ESSA provisions currently are in effect and should be implemented as of the time of this webinar Visit https://nche.ed.gov/legislation/ for more information on McKinney-Vento and other relevant federal statutes

NATIONAL DATA: SY 2016-2017 Total enrollment: 1,355,821 students experiencing homelessness Enrolled by Primary Nighttime Residence Hotels/ Motels, 6% Unsheltered, 4% Shelters 14% Double d-up 76% Doubled-up Shelters Hotels/ Motels Source: Federal Data Summary School Years 2014-15 to 2016-17 at https://nche.ed.gov/data-and-stats/

THE DYNAMICS OF DOUBLING UP A shelter stay is not always an option: – Shelters don’t exist in every community – Shelters often are full – Shelter policies may create barriers – Shelters may generate safety concerns – Shelters may have stay limits Doubled-up arrangements often serve as temporary shelter, but may not last or may place the family or youth in danger

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Which of the following are included in the McKinney-Vento Act definition of homeless? Sharing the housing of other persons due to: – Relocation – Economic hardship – Job loss – Loss of housing – Bankruptcy

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Which of the following are included in the McKinney-Vento Act definition of homeless? Sharing the housing of other persons due to: – Relocation – Economic hardship – Job loss – Loss of housing – Bankruptcy

THE LEGISLATIVE WORDING The term homeless children and youth means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and includes children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason

“FIXED, REGULAR, AND ADEQUATE” Fixed – Stationary, permanent, not subject to change Regular – Used on a predictable, routine, consistent basis – Consider the relative permanence Adequate – Lawfully and reasonably sufficient – Sufficient for meeting the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments Download NCHE’s Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services brief at https://nche.ed.gov/resources/

“SHARING THE HOUSING OF OTHER PERSONS ” Implies that the child or youth is staying in someone else’s residence Clarifying questions: – Does the family or youth have any legal right to be in the home? – Can the family or youth be asked to leave at any time with no legal recourse?

“ DUE TO LOSS OF HOUSING ” Implies that the student has no personal housing available Clarifying questions: Did the family or youth lose previous housing due to – An eviction or foreclosure? – Destruction of or damage to the previous home? – Unhealthy or unsafe conditions? – Domestic violence? – Abuse or neglect? – The absence of a parent or guardian due to abandonment, parental incarceration, or a similar reason?

“ ECONOMIC HARDSHIP ” Implies that limited financial resources have forced the family or youth to leave the personal residence and share housing due to an inability to pay the rent/mortgage and other bills Clarifying question: – Did economic hardship due to an accident or illness, loss of employment, loss of public benefits, or a similar reason force the family or youth to share the housing of others temporarily?

HELPFUL CONSIDERATIONS Consider: – how the shared housing came about – the intention of the residents – the family’s or youth’s housing options if not sharing housing – the fixed, regular, and adequate guiding phrase Make determinations on a case-by-case basis

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Which of the following shared living arrangements would you consider homeless?

HOMELESS? Yes No Need more information Not sure Will Bolen lived with his wife and three school-age children in Milwaukee. They just moved to Chicago because Will received a promotion requiring him to move to where his company’s home office is located. He and his family are staying with his brother for a couple of weeks until the house they rented is available for them to move into.

HOMELESS? Based on what we know, Will Bolen and his family are not homeless. While they are sharing housing with Will’s brother, it is not due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason. Will and his family are staying with his brother due to a move based on a job promotion.

HOMELESS? Yes No Need more information Not sure Mariana’s mom struggles with substance abuse. As a result, she often has strangers in the home and participates in activities that cause Mariana to feel anxious and unsafe. Eventually, Mariana came to the conclusion that she would be safer living on her own. She ran away, swearing she would never live with her mom again. She is now crashing on the

HOMELESS? Based on what we know, Mariana is homeless. She left home because she felt physically and emotionally unsafe there. Sleeping on the couch of a friend she met at the mall last week would not qualify as a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

HOMELESS? Yes No Need more information Not sure Devon shows up at your school mid-way through the semester to enroll his daughter, Shayna. When you ask for proof of residence, he explains that they’ve just moved in with his parents who live a few blocks away.

HOMELESS? You likely will need more information. Devon and Shayna’s living arrangement may or may not be considered homeless, based on the additional information you learn.