1

Housing + High School = Success:

Successful Host Home Programs

NAEHCYNAEHCY• National membership association dedicated to

educational excellence for children and youth experiencing homelessness, from early childhood through higher education.– Local Youth Task Forces, State Higher Ed Networks, Early

Childhood Committee

• Technical assistance on policy implementation.• Bringing your voices to Congress and state

legislatures.• Youth leadership and support.

2

House-Keeping: Asking House-Keeping: Asking QuestionsQuestions

3

Host Homes for Unaccompanied YouthA model for community collaboration

HYI

• Kathi Sheffel• Homeless Liaison Fairfax County Public Schools • Judith Dittman• Executive Director Alternative House

Homeless Youth Initiative

Young people who attend high school, are homeless and do not have the support of a parent or guardian are in a precarious situation. Without stable housing concentrating on education is difficult. Finding a place to study, sufficient food to eat and medical care are all issues. Adult homeless shelters are not a good option for young people who are 18 to 21 and still in school.

Understanding the need

Homeless Adult Shelters are by design, not for high school students. In order for minimal disruption educationally in spite of homelessness, students need a consistent place to stay where they can focus on school. Adult shelters do not offer that regular nighttime residence. Frequently, they offer a night to night possibility of a place to sleep, requiring hyper vigilance on the part of the student regarding basic needs and personal safety. This housing is so very far removed from that of the regular student population at school, the student is a further risk of disengaging from peers and becoming isolated with homelessness.

Identification and Referral• FCPS Homeless office assists the School Social Worker in

identifying HYI candidates.

• SSW assists the student with the application to HYI

• HYI reviews each application, interviews student, and

• Makes the appropriate housing placement

Host Homes• Involvement in the life of the teen will be dependent

on the student and the Host Home and an agreement about house rules will also be defined by two parties. The Host Home Coordinator will visit with the family once a month to ensure things are going smoothly. The student will also receive support from the staff.

Janet Lane House

Home for Teen GirlsA four bedroom home in Vienna is available to house four young women who are enrolled in FCPS. Supervision is provided 24 hours a day. Students must be screened by a therapist.

Host Home Rental Subsidies

A rental subsidy program to assist students at risk of losing their housing (renting a room) or provided to help secure housing requires that students secure employment and be able to live independently. As with the other programs, they must apply for the program and participate in a meeting with the therapist to determine eligibility. They will receive ongoing support from the Alternative House staff.

Rental Subsidy • The Alternative House Housing/Program Coordinator will match the

young person with appropriate housing. In many cases this will be a room in a home located near the school the young person attends. By using this arrangement there are three benefits:

• A family that may be stretching to make their mortgage payment receives that small additional income that keeps them in their home;

• The young person has a safe, stable living arrangement close to the social supports he or she has developed; and

• The school district does not incur the cost of transporting the young person from a remote shelter to their high school.

Handling issues

• Working out barriers that arise• Program fluidity and improvement

School Partnership: What does that really mean?

Meetings and more meetings….why we need them and how they actually help our kids!

•Collaborating with County Leadership•Awareness building•Maintaining stamina and patience•Common responses: How to handle them.

“Last year I took in a foreign exchange student from Palmyra”

Roadmap to Graduation

Beth McCullough M.A., L.L.P.

Homeless Education Coordinator

Adrian Public Schools, Adrian, MI

• Gather data – tell the story• Needs assessments

– What are the resources?– What are the holes?– Who is already working with this population?– Know what committees you need to be on.

1. Identifying the problem

2. The Homeless Youth Committee• Department of Human Services• Child Protective Services• Criminal Justice• Community Mental Health• Runaway and Homeless Youth contractor• Shelters• Continuum of Care• Faith Community• Employment agencies• Special education directors

3. Roadmap to Graduation– Find a community partner– Mentor homes, mentoring 7 days a week, 24

hours a day.– Seniors on track to graduate– Power of Attorney if under 18– Use family and friends as well as recruiting

homes – “old” foster care homes– Monthly stipend

Funding

• Service clubs – Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.• Faith based funding• Mentoring funding• Individual contributions• Drop out prevention• Suicide prevention• LGBT groups

Cost of Teen Pregnancy

• $1,430: The average annual cost to taxpayers associated with a child born to a teen mother aged 19 and younger.

• $4,080: The average annual cost to taxpayers associated with a child born to a teen mother aged 17 and younger.

• $8.6 billion: The public costs of childbearing to teens aged 17 and younger.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, www.teenpregnancy.org/costs

Cost of dropping out of high school:• “A new report out by the Alliance for Excellent

Education (November 18, 2009) states the nation’s economy would have benefited from almost $335 billion in additional income if the high school students that dropped out of the Class of 2009 had graduated. Over $292,000 is the cost incurred by taxpayers for each dropout over their lifetime in terms of lost earnings and therefore lower taxes paid and higher spending for social costs including incarceration, health care, and welfare.”

The cost of 1 student in Roadmap to Graduation

• $300 a month• $2700 a yearWhat is graduation worth?

Success Rate

• 100 % Graduation rate• 87% attend college• 100 % employment rate

UNACCOMPANIED STUDENT INITIATIVE

Strong Families Action Team

Host Home Program

• Housed under Catholic Charities of Wyoming• Catholic Charites provides case management to

the youth– Host family if needed

• Stipend is provided to youth– Small portion is given to host family

• Youth Initiated program

Host Home Funding

• Medicaid– Catholic Charities is paid by Medicaid for case

management

• Cheyenne Regional Medical Center– Community Board Grant pays for stipend

USI Funding

• Private Donors• United Way of Laramie County• Banks• CDBG Funds• Women’s Civic League• Foundations• Medicaid• Community Hospital

USI Funding Takeaways• Educate your community

– Informational Dinner with key stakeholders– Regular Newsletter– Social Media

• Talk to private donors to gain information on what they want to see when they donate– Budget in marketing material– Ownership of program – Transparency– List of options to give

• Skills• Money for specific line item

• Make the ‘ASK’!!

Questions?Questions?

30

Type your question in Type your question in the chat boxthe chat box

to to allall(not just the organizer)(not just the organizer)

and click Sendand click Send