ARP-HCY Spotlights: Outreach & Identification
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools decided to use their ARP-HCY Part I funds to prioritize youth empowerment and countywide mentoring. They hired formerly homeless youth as “Peer Support Associates” to meet with youth, educators, and community countywide. Peer Support Associates share their stories in order to empower youth to advocate for themselves and to encourage youth to not let their current circumstances define their future. They also inspire stakeholders to support and serve children and youth experiencing homelessness, and help educate teachers, school staff and community on the importance of one caring adult, building trust, and understanding homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act. The Peer Support Associate positions are funded for two years.
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools also braided ARP-HCY Part I funds with state and district funds to contract with school-based mentors who have lived experiences and relate to youth. Mentors support junior high, high schools and county community schools to provide once-a-month on-campus mentoring, inclusive of mental wellness, life skills, healthy relationships, academic support, and postsecondary planning support.
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools also received a smaller amount of ARP-HCY Part II funds, which were used for a county-wide back-to-school event in partnership with faith-based organizations, the district attorney, probation, local assembly member, and other community agencies. Through this collective impact event, over 11,000 backpacks with school supplies were distributed to three different regions of the county. San Bernardino County encompasses over 20,000 square miles of rural , urban, and suburban regions.
San Bernardino County will gather data to show the importance and impact of school-based mentoring, Peer Support Associates, and how one caring adult can make a difference in the lives of the students that we serve. Together with the anecdotal information from youth, San Bernardino County will show the need to implement and support programs like these in the future, in the hopes that educational systems will prioritize securing funding to continue empowering our youth.
“The funding is good, but temporary. What do we do after? It is important that we are intentional with these funds to maximize our efforts and resources to meet the needs of children and youth. In the end, our goal is to inspire all children and youth, and empower them to use their voice.”
-Brenda Dowdy, Homeless Education Project Manager
When Ridgefield School District learned they’d be receiving ARP-HCY funds, the Assistant Director of Social Emotional Learning began to survey school staff, including counselors, administrators, connection mentors (social-emotional learning support staff), and the family resource center coordinator. District staff identified key needs of mental health services, tutoring, and transportation. The Assistant Director then surveyed every family identified as experiencing homelessness in the district. Families identified key needs of not feeling connected to school and needing more communication between home and school. The Assistant Director met with each student identified as an unaccompanied homeless youth at the high school level and learned that needs would have to be met on an individual basis.
Based on survey results, Camp Cope-A-Lot, an online curriculum, will be purchased to support mental health, stress and anxiety. Camp Cope-A-Lot is an online program to help kids learn coping strategies to manage stress and anxiety. Because the district has 1:1 chromebooks, students can access Camp Cope-A-Lot both at home and at school. In addition, the district also plans to purchase a family account that aligns with the student’s account.
Since the need for greater connections between school and home was identified, the district is working on a plan to better engage families through regular free and fun family events called “Growing Spudders”, modeled after an existing program at the district’s early learning center. The district plans to use ARP-HCY funds to purchase educational games for the family events, as well as use the events to provide opportunities to foster community. These events will also support increased identification, as more families are connecting with school and the homeless liaison.
In order to meet the individual needs of the district’s unaccompanied homeless youth, the district plans to use pre-paid Visa cards. The Assistant Director will be responsible for tracking the use of the pre-paid cards, including who received it, for what purpose, and other district tracking requirements.
“I always go back to my own lived experience. I would have attended school more if I would have had coping strategies to manage my stress and anxiety about missing school because of my living situation. I want to make sure to build connections, empathy and understanding between school and families. These funds are helping to make it possible.”
– Kataira Smith, Assistant Director of Social Emotional Learning and Homeless Liaison
Akron Public Schools (APS) typically receives McKinney-Vento subgrant funds and has a robust program to support students experiencing homelessness, providing intake staff to focus on identification and academic advocates for case management. Using ESSER funds, Akron Public Schools was able to increase staff capacity serving as academic advocates for students experiencing homelessness.
In deciding how to use ARP-HCY funds, APS prioritized sustainability in order to maintain programming beyond ARP funds. APS used ARP-HCY I funds for supplies to support attendance and engagement, such as hygiene products, clothing and food vouchers, but also contracted with the central intake office of their local United Way. With this contract, families have direct access to a housing navigator. The housing navigator also will be a point person for school staff when supporting families with housing instability. APS will collect and analyze data to evaluate this partnership, and pursue opportunities for funding through the United Way after ARP-HCY funds are no longer available.
Like many school districts across the nation, Akron Public Schools saw a decrease in numbers of students identified as homeless due to the challenges of identification during the pandemic and remote learning. Therefore, they also will use ARP-HCY funds for targeted marketing. APS has a contract with a local billboard company for four weeks of advertising now, and 4 weeks at the beginning of the year to increase awareness and identification of students.
In addition, ARP-HCY II funds will be used for professional development for staff. Using McKinney-Vento subgrant carryover funds, APS initiated the development of an online program to provide a simulation of homelessness and housing instability. ARP-HCY II funds will support the completion of the project, as well as support the use in schools and the community.
ARP-HCY II funds also are supporting the development of two important new partnerships to meet the needs of children and youth in APS. First, APS is partnering with Legal Aid to support families in navigating and working through housing and eviction needs, as well as other legal needs affecting housing. APS will conduct a legal assessment for families needing services, and refer them to the Legal Aid office for continuing work. This partnership will include both attorney hours and training for staff. Second, in addition to the APS partnership with Head Start, APS will begin to provide SPARK, a preschool program designed to support the kindergarten readiness of 3- and 4-year-olds. Through SPARK, a part-time staff person will provide curriculum and support twice a month in the homes of 25 early learners each year. Using data to demonstrate need and effectiveness, APS will look for funding sources through community partnerships to continue SPARK after ARP-HCY funds are no longer available.
“It’s different to have funding, in addition to the regular McKinney-Vento grant, so it’s a nice ‘problem’ to have. We are really looking at what needs we have, and what we can do better.”
-Shannah Carino, District Homeless Liaison and McKinney-Vento Specialist