1. Youth and Young Adult Homelessness 101
Liz Trautman, Sierra Phillips, Katara Jordan
5/9/2018

2. Student Homelessness
The scope of student homelessness in our state and in our schools.
Important basic terms and definitions of homelessness.

3. Washington State
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

4. Per Capita Prevalence
Statewide, 3.5% of all students are identified as experiencing homelessness
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Analysis of school-level data from OSPI by Building Changes. Student counts are duplicated across schools in some cases and may vary from other reported sources.

5. Students Experiencing Homelessness
Analysis of school-level data from OSPI by Building Changes. Student counts are duplicated across schools in some cases and may vary from other reported sources.

6. Disproportionality of Student Homelessness
Analysis of school-level data from OSPI by Building Changes. Student counts are duplicated across schools in some cases and may vary from other reported sources.

7. McKinney-Vento
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was passed in 1987.
The education portion of the Act was first reauthorized in 2002 as part of No Child Left Behind and again in 2015 as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Main tenets:
School access
School stability
Support for academic success
Child-centered, best interest decision making
Critical role of the local homeless education liaison

8. McKinney-Vento Definition of “Homeless”
Lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and
Includes:
Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason;
Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
Living in emergency or transitional shelters; or
Living in cars, parks, public places, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
Migratory children who live in circumstances described above.
Unaccompanied homeless youth who live in the circumstances described above.

9. Definition Unpacking
Can the you go to the SAME PLACE (fixed) EVERY NIGHT (regular) to sleep in a SAFE AND SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?
Fixed—stationary, permanent, and not subject to change.
Regular—used on a predictable, routine, or consistent basis.
Adequate—sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in the home.

10. Definitions Matter  How is “homelessness” defined? 73% 6% 14% 7%
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
FAFSA Application & Verification Guide
Percent of WA homeless students
Doubled up 
73%
Hotel/motel 6%
In shelters
14%
Unsheltered 7%
At-risk**

11. Youth and Young Adult Homelessness
The scope of youth and young adult homelessness in our state and in our schools.
How the foster care experience overlaps with youth and young adult homelessness.
Significant changes in polices affecting our statewide response to youth homelessness.

12. Runaway & Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)
Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974
Reauthorized as Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008
New reauthorizing legislation introduced in 2018: Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act 

13. Key Components of RHYA
Established programs to address the needs of homeless youth and young adults:
Street Outreach Program (SOP) – ages 13-17
Basic Shelter Program (BCP) – temporary shelter beds, ages 13-17
Transitional Living Program (TLP) / Maternity Group Home (MGH) – up to 18 months, age 16-21
Programs must coordinate with McKinney Vento liaisons and ensure access to education

14. Another definition!
The Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Act (42 USC 5701 § 387) defines “homeless youth” as individuals who are not more than 18 years of age if seeking shelter in a Basic Center Program, or not more than 21 years of age or less than 16 years of age if seeking services in a Transitional Living Program, and for whom it is not possible to live in a safe environment with a relative, and who have no other safe alternative living arrangement.
Source: National Network for Youth

15. National estimates
About 1 in 10 young adults experience homelessness in a year.
About 1 in year- olds experience homelessness in a year.
Source: Chapin Hall: Voices of Youth Count, 2017
Photo: Jerry Davis

16. Washington Data on Youth and Young Adult Homelessness
More than 12,889 young adults experience homelessness in Washington State every year.
14% of young adults returned to homelessness
40% of homeless young adults identify as LGBTQ
28% of homeless young adults have experienced formal foster care
15% of homeless young adults report a disability
Source: Office of Homeless Youth report 2016

17. National Data on College Homelessness
36% of 4-year college, and 51% of 2-year college students are housing insecure
9% - 12% experienced homelessness in last year
36% of 4-year college, and 42% of 2-year college students are food insecure
6% - 9% didn’t eat for at least a day in the last month because of lack of money for food
Source: Wisconsin Hope Lab, 2018

18. Homeless youth/Foster youth
About 1 in 4 foster youth experience homelessness within a year of exit (DSHS, 2015)
Shared experiences:
Instability
Difficulty accessing typical teen activities
Paperwork challenges
Limited social/emotional or financial support in post- secondary transition

19. ?
Youth Reflection
noitcelfeR htuoY

20. Homeless Student Stability Program (HSSP)_
Enacted in 2016
Competitive grant system to ensure homeless students continue attending the same schools, maintain housing stability, and improve academic achievement

21. Homeless Student Stability Program (HSSP)
Dept. of Commerce Program
OSPI Program
Awarded to school districts in partnership with community organizations.
Goal:
Increase identification of homeless students and the capacity of the school districts to provide support
Awarded to school districts
Goal:
Provide educational stability for homeless students by promoting housing stability

22. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Amended the McKinney-Vento Act in 2015

23. ESSA: What changes did it make?
Removes children and youth “awaiting foster care placement” under the definition of “homeless”
Local liaisons are authorized to affirm whether children and youth meet the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homelessness to qualify them for HUD homeless assistance programs.
Requires State plans to describe how homeless youth will receive assistance from school counselors to advise, prepare, and improve their readiness for college.
States must have procedures to identify and remove barriers that prevent students from receiving appropriate credit for full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed while attending a prior school, in accordance with State, local, and school policies.
Local liaisons must ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth have opportunities to meet the same State academic achievement standards as the State establishes for other children and youth.

24. Public Funding Federal Washington
41 of 295 school districts receive federal funding to implement requirements
Total federal funding allocated to WA is approximately $1 million a year
In 2016, $71.5M was allocated to all states for MV programs.
Washington
Homeless Student Stability Program funding
OSPI funded 12 school districts in ; 38 in
Commerce funded 9 school districts in ; 4 in
Total funding is approximately $2 million a year

25. Homeless Youth Act Enacted in 2015
Establishes the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection

26. Key Components of HYA
Establishes goal of no discharge of youth from state system of care into homelessness
Programs:
HOPE/CRC beds – temporary shelter beds for minors
Street Youth Services – outreach and drop-in programs
Young Adult Housing Program – rental assistance for year olds
Independent Youth Housing Program – Housing for former foster youth, ages 18-24
Strategic plan and annual reporting towards goals

27. Public Funding Federal (FY2018) Washington
Runaway & Homeless Youth Act funding - $127.3 million
7 RHYA grantees in Washington
HUD Youth Homelessness Demonstration Projects - $80 million
King County received a $5 million YHDP grant in 2016
Washington
106 HOPE/CRC beds statewide
$787k/year for Young Adult Housing Program

28. Tips & Concluding Reflection
Think about 1 idea or action you will take back to your school/campus
Share your idea with your neighbor
Open share out