ARP-HCY Spotlights: Wraparound Services

Washington Court House City Schools (WCHCS) have had strong processes for identifying students experiencing homelessness over the years. However, as the district began to look at which students were identified, WCHCS realized that communication barriers greatly impacted the district’s ability to offer additional support and resources to families experiencing homelessness.  Many of these families did not have access to technology, were not willing to share their circumstances or did not respond at all to efforts to offer help.

As a result, WCHCS decided to write a McKinney-Vento subgrant application, which ultimately wasn’t funded but led to receiving ARP-HCY Part I and Part II funds. With the awarding of these funds, the district began a mentorship program for their students experiencing homelessness. The goal was for the mentor to be the bridge between the district and families so resources and support could flow to students and families experiencing homelessness.  In the beginning, certified staff were tapped to fill the role of mentors, but as the program has grown, all full-time staff are now able to participate after attending training.

Once a student is identified under McKinney-Vento, the WCHCS liaison/social worker reaches out to the parent or guardian, as well as staff in the building where the student attends. Upon parent approval, a mentor is then paired with the identified student, meeting with the student a minimum of twice per month for a minimum of 30 minutes. All mentor-mentee meetings occur during the school day in order to avoid additional burdens outside of school hours for these families.  The mentors use their personal time for these meetings.  In fact, many mentors choose to spend lunch with their mentee at least one time per week. Mentors are also required to be in contact with the parent or guardian at least one time per month. Mentors receive a stipend, funded by ARP-HCY, for taking on this role.

In order to track the program to show outcomes and success, the McKinney-Vento Coordinator uses Google sheets.  One sheet is used to track the whole program, but individual spreadsheets are created for every family and are monitored by the McKinney-Vento liaison/social worker. Mentors use the Google sheet to log contacts with their mentee, including goals, attendance, and grades. In addition, mentors log all contact with the parent/guardian, tracking needs that the family has and referrals that are made by the McKinney-Vento liaison/social worker to community partners. If there is more than one student per family, all mentors have access to the sheet for the entire family so that mentors can collaborate with other mentors to support the whole family.

The mentorship program has led to a significant increase in the identification of students.  In fact, the number of students experiencing homelessness that have been identified have increased from an average of 65 last year to over 100 this year.  Because families now have stronger connections to school through the mentorship program, they are sharing with other families through word of mouth.  This enables school staff to connect with other families who are experiencing homelessness and needing support. Because the district has strong community partnerships, the district is able to meet non-academic needs that families have that are often shared through the mentor-mentee relationships. In addition, the district has sought feedback from parents and students on the success of the program and 100% of families and students have expressed how much they love the mentorship program; families and staff have all expressed that it’s been rewarding and impactful.

In addition to the mentorship program, WCHCS is also using ARP-HCY funds to provide tutoring and wraparound services. From the data collected during the first year of the mentorship program, staff noticed a trend that many of the district’s students experiencing homelessness struggled with behavior concerns.  With ARP-HCY funds, the district hired a McKinney-Vento Behavior Technician, who is trained by the district Prevention Coordinator. The district Prevention Coordinator, who is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), goes into classrooms, assesses what interventions the student would benefit from, and then the McKinney-Vento Behavior Technician implements the interventions with students experiencing homelessness. This has allowed WCHCS to better support students with behavior struggles due to the trauma they’ve experienced, as well as to model interactions and communication strategies.

As WCHCS plans for sustainability after ARP-HCY funds are no longer available, the district will apply for McKinney-Vento subgrant funds.  In the event that subgrant funds are not awarded, mentors for the program will be on a volunteer basis.  The Behavior Technician position will not be cut but will likely be absorbed by another position.  The district hopes to gather enough data to make a case to continue to fund this position by other means.

“Our district is located in a rural city that is very generous and supportive of community members in need.  Making connections between resources and families was a struggle previously due to not knowing what our families experiencing homelessness needed.  The mentor program not only benefits individual students, but overall we are able to connect families to resources more efficiently. Thanks to these funds, we’ve been able to create a program so that families can feel connected and more open to sharing their needs. This has had a huge impact on our students, our school community and on identification.”

-Laura McNamara, Student Services Coordinator and McKinney-Vento Coordinator

Lawton Public Schools (LPS) are using ARP-HCY funds to meet both immediate needs and to engage students in learning. Working with the IT Director, the district secured contracts with Verizon to provide cell phones to unaccompanied homeless youth. So far, LPS has distributed one cell phone that is not only serving to support the youth’s communication with school, but has also served to boost this student’s self-confidence as technology access now mirrors that of the youth’s peers. LPS asked the youth to sign an agreement at the time of distribution, agreeing to answer when school calls, and agreeing to revisit the contract during the summer if the student enrolls in summer school and is employed. In addition, district technology staff met with the student to review how to use the phone and to talk about social media use.

In addition, transportation remains a barrier for students experiencing homelessness at LPS. There have been challenges with gaps of time between transportation requests and when transportation begins. LPS has traveling counselors who were providing transportation during this interim time, but it is often unreliable depending on counselor schedules. Because of this, ARP-HCY funds were used to purchase a vehicle. The vehicle will also be used for virtual students to access school services. It will also be used for home visits to students and families and to transport students to needed health services.

LPS currently funds two part-time mentors and a McKinney-Vento Administrative Assistant out of the Title I, Part A homeless reservation.The mentors are retired coaches who support students experiencing homelessness by checking in with them, checking on attendance and grades, and providing additional support. With ARP-HCY funds, LPS was able to hire a retired educator to serve as a mentor in the middle school. In addition to this staff member, LPS hired a McKinney-Vento Outreach Specialist. The Outreach Specialist is a social worker who is focusing on supporting students experiencing homelessness in the district’s virtual program. The Outreach Specialist not only checks in on students and supports their academic engagement, but also can follow up with students who are not yet identified. Doing home visits to these students, the Outreach Specialist is able to identify new students or refer those who are not experiencing homelessness to other school staff for support.

LPS is currently brainstorming ways to support students experiencing homelessness in preschool. The vision is to not only support young learners, but also provide education and training for families so that learning can continue no matter what the family’s living situation.

“Whatever you thought you couldn’t do, now is the time to do it with these funds. We’ve not been able to support our students in these ways until now.”

-Andrea Winstead, Title I/IX Facilitator

As of the end of November 2022, Pinellas County Schools (PCS) had 3, 062 students identified, approximately 6% of their student population. After receiving $1.9 million in ARP-HCY Part I and Part II funds, PCS prioritized providing wraparound services and housing-related supports, staffing, and transportation to support the district’s students experiencing homelessness. The majority of the funds were dedicated to supporting housing partnerships.

With a collaborative contract already in place between the city of St. Petersburg, PCS, and other community partners, the district was able to expand this cooperative agreement to support housing for families using ARP-HCY funds. The community organization, Directions for Living, provides programs to get families into shelter and housing. Prior to ARP-HCY, this program collaboration was specific to students and families at the highest need schools with the highest numbers of students experiencing homelessness. Because of ARP-HCY funds, this contract was expanded to include any family identified as experiencing homelessness in the district. McKinney-Vento points of contact in each building can refer any family to this program. With just over $1 million in ARP-HCY funds going toward this housing collaboration, additional case managers were hired to support families not only get into housing, but also to support those at risk of homelessness by advocating with landlords and helping remove past evictions from rental histories, and place families in motels temporarily. This housing program can serve up to 90 families in a school year, and PCS has already referred more than 90 families to this program. The case managers work to remove barriers to the resources and supports that exist within the county.

In addition, PCS has used ARP-HCY funds to support a partnership with a community organization, Clothes for Kids, that provides uniforms to students. Prior to this partnership, PCS was using district funds to buy uniforms for students on an as needed basis; however, with ARP-HCY and Title IX funds, PCS is able to partner with Clothes for Kids so families can go to this organization to shop for uniforms and clean clothes for a week at a time, removing this barrier for students to attend school.

PCS is also using ARP-HCY funds to expand a collaboration with the community program Starting Right Now. This program serves unaccompanied homeless youth, providing housing, mentors and life skills to support students through high school and graduation, postsecondary planning, and continuing to support them through their higher education. District points of contact can refer unaccompanied homeless youth to this program, and ARP-HCY funds COVID health and hygiene protocols for referred students.

Using approximately $500,000, ARP-HCY funds made it possible to expand the district’s existing contract with Ever Driven Transportation, a private rideshare with vetted drivers for school of origin transportation. With the additional transportation option, attendance and stability have increased, most notably for students at the secondary level.

Finally, ARP-HCY funds were used to hire an additional staff member who will take over as homeless liaison in December of 2023. The liaison position is currently funded through the Title I, Part A homeless reservation, so funding for this position will shift from ARP-HCY to Title I, Part A when funds are no longer available.

PCS is carefully tracking data on these partnerships and initiatives, with the goal that community partners will step up to fund these once ARP-HCY funds are no longer available. Because the data shows the efficacy of the work, community partners will be able to see how their funding can be used in tandem with PCS funds. This includes other available grant application opportunities, expanding existing district contracts, and shifting district funds to best meet needs. The district prioritizes networking with community partners to show the successes of the collaborations and the need for further partnership and funding.

“We are visible in the community, reminding our community partners of McKinney-Vento so that our housing partners can also be McKinney-Vento advocates. We connect families to these partners who are experts at moving families into housing because our expertise is education. We’ve built a successful model of partnerships with our housing providers, and it’s been the best way to use ARP-HCY funds to support our families.”
-Dr. Christine Cantrell, Student and Community Support Services Homeless Liaison

Monte del Sol Charter School serves approximately 360 total students, with a large population of immigrant students, primarily Spanish-speaking, in grades 7-12. The number of students experiencing homelessness has increased in the last seven years from one student to 45 so far this year (mid-May) and many are immigrants. The part-time homeless liaison has worked hard to build relationships with families over the last seven years, providing a food bank as a way to meet needs and establish trust. As the liaison has gotten to know families over the years, it became evident that the school needed a fully bilingual staff member to support communication with families experiencing homelessness.

The homeless liaison was already working with the city to support families in accessing rental assistance through systems navigation. As the application process for rental assistance has become more cumbersome, immigrant families experiencing homelessness needed someone to help navigate the application in their native language. With ARP-HCY funds, the homeless liaison created a part-time Bilingual Benefits Navigator position to meet this need. The school hired a Navigator who was already a staff member and already had strong relationships with families and the community.

The Bilingual Benefits Navigator has lived experience that helps build connections and trust with families. The Navigator is primarily working on housing navigation, helping families apply for state rental and utility assistance with federal relief funds. However, the position has flexible hours and is able to support families in other ways, such as helping a mom and daughter navigate shopping for basic needs like clothing. In addition, the Navigator assists with identification of students because of the relationships that have been established. Families trust her with information about their living situations that they don’t feel comfortable sharing with others. The Navigator is also a support person for pregnant and parenting teens on campus, again drawing from her own lived experience. The Navigator is savvy in knowing how to help families with significant needs and has been critical in the school’s work with children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness who are also Spanish-speaking. The success of this position has been significant and the school anticipates writing future grants, including an EHCY subgrant, to sustain this position.

“Our school serves mostly immigrant families, including many established families who have relatives from Mexico move in and double up due to financial hardship. The continuity with families helps us to identify and support those who are experiencing homelessness. Families come into our school and I already have a history with them. With this Navigator position, we are able to serve our families in a caring and empathic way in their language.”

-Cate Moses, Homeless Education Liaison

The Menominee Indian School District (MISD) is located on the Menominee Indian Reservation in rural Wisconsin. As a tribal community, cultural connections are important and the district strives to serve students and families through a network of relationships. The district has placed a strong emphasis on identifying students experiencing homelessness, and currently identifies about 10% of the total student population as eligible for McKinney-Vento services. When COVID shut down in-person learning, the district quickly realized that school is the main source of safety and stability for students experiencing homelessness, as well as the primary place for students to access food.

In response, MISD used ARP-HCY funds to set up a support room at the high school where students experiencing homelessness can access washers and dryers, as well as hygiene supplies and shelf-stable food. The district evaluated the needs of students and families and determined that it will provide these resources 12 months of the year, remaining open all summer long. This support room also provides a place for students to connect with school staff.

Using district funds, MISD has hired Student Success Mentors in each building, and ARP-HCY funds pay for a portion of the mentors’ salary in order to specifically support students experiencing homelessness. Every student is assigned to a Success Mentor, and for many students experiencing homelessness, the Mentor checks in daily to ensure that needs are being met and relationships are being established.

The district also plans to use ARP-HCY funds to purchase prepaid cell phones for students and passes for community transportation so that students can access school buildings and school staff all year round.

“Because we are a tribal school and families are so interconnected, relationships are crucial. We are careful not to put all our eggs in one basket but to create positions that can continue long after funding ends. We are thoughtful and intentional about funding streams, and know that the work we start with ARP-HCY will continue after the funding period is over.”
-Kate Mikle, Principal, Menominee Indian High School

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

New Philadelphia City Schools has recently experienced an influx of students arriving from Guatemala. In a district of 3,100 students, hundreds are identified as English learners and unaccompanied homeless youth. These students arrive with limited educational experience and different educational expectations from their home country. This often means that in rain or snow, students arrive late or miss school altogether, as may be typical in their home country. In addition, New Philadelphia has a walk zone of one mile, and many of these students live just within the walk zone. The school social worker and the Federal Programs Coordinator collaborated to consider how ARP-HCY funds could support the attendance of this group of Guatemalan students identified as unaccompanied homeless youth. Using data, they determined that many of their unaccompanied middle and high school English Learners were not attending because of the lack of busing in the walk zone, and students simply aren’t wanting to walk that far so early in the morning or in inclement weather.

As a result, the district decided to use ARP-HCY funds to purchase bikes to break down the barriers of attendance for the Guatemalan students and other students identified as experiencing homelessness. In addition, ARP-HCY funds will be used for minor remodeling of an existing on-site modular building to create a space for meeting student needs, including storage bins and clothing racks to organize student supplies. The modular will house the bikes for students, as well as hygiene and school supplies, clothing, shoes, and other basic needs for students experiencing homelessness. ARP-HCY funds will also cover the salary of a part-time staff person to organize and manage this space, providing a one-stop shop for students and school staff to meet the needs of students and provide bikes for transportation. The district will monitor the attendance of students utilizing bikes for transportation to determine the success of this model. Because there are many students in the district who ride bikes to school, this mode of transportation will not stigmatize the students experiencing homelessness. Finally, the district anticipates using ARP-HCY funds to purchase prepaid cell phones for students to maintain better connections and engagement with school.

“We are excited to get this up and running and to really be able to help these kids. It will be possible because of the extra ARP-HCY funds. Many of these kids are largely unsupervised because they are unaccompanied homeless youth, but they are still expected to attend school. We believe providing bikes will help make that happen.”

– Laurie Hall, Federal Programs Coordinator

Durham Public Schools utilizes multiple funding sources to provide extensive supports and services to their students experiencing homelessness. Using Title I, Part A funds, the LEA pays for the homeless liaison salary, as well as a McKinney-Vento social worker to identify and support students which, pre-pandemic, numbered over 1,000 . Title I, Part A funds also support salaries and transportation for the LEA’s tutoring program for identified students. Durham Public Schools also receive McKinney-Vento subgrant funds, which are used to provide tutoring and summer camp programming.

With the LEA’s ARP-HCY funds, the LEA is prioritizing their focus on high school students. Unaccompanied homeless youth will have access to academic tutoring, ACT and SAT prep, FAFSA, and college essay writing support. The LEA is using funds to hire a youth case manager to intentionally meet the needs of these youth. Unaccompanied youth will also have access to two years of mental health support through the district.

In addition, the LEA is expanding tutoring at the elementary and middle school levels, bringing tutors into the buildings with the highest need to ensure direct access.

Durham currently has one shelter that youth over 18 can access. The LEA is using ARP-HCY funds to create a study space at the shelter to support re-engagement of youth and access to educational programming.

“I’m excited because if it had not been for ARP-HCY funding, there is a lot we wouldn’t be able to do!”
– Ebony Ross, 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

Marion County Schools are leveraging local, state, and federal funds to provide layered supports for students experiencing homelessness, with a focus on basic needs, mental health, and supplemental instruction. In this predominantly rural area, there are fewer service agencies than in urban areas, making school the main provider of basic needs for students experiencing homelessness. After reviewing existing services provided through strong community partnerships, the school district decided to prioritize basic needs as a use of ARP-HCY funds. Marion County Schools have also been intentional about ensuring that students experiencing homelesness have access to all district-provided supports. For example, the mental health coordinator partners closely with the homeless liaison to ensure students experiencing homelessness have access to mental health supports provided to all students. School counselors are points of contact across 10 schools in 5 communities, allowing the homeless liaison to focus on working with community partners. The homeless liaison salary is paid out of the Title I, Part A homeless reservation, and additional counselor time is provided through the school district’s ARP ESSER funds. This layered support makes it possible for the homeless liaison to use her time to go out to schools and connect with community partners.

“You may have heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. That is our approach to providing for our homeless students. We take a personal approach to make sure identified students have the same opportunities as anyone else in our system. ARP-HCY funds have certainly made it possible to help ensure our mission of ‘Changing Children’s Lives’.”
-Kevin Dulaney, Federal Programs Director

The Roanoke City Schools McKinney-Vento Program Coordinator is using ARP-HCY funds to increase program staff capacity. In addition to the coordinator, the program has employed a part-time staff person to provide support. Using ARP-HCY funds, the part-time position has become a full-time Outreach Specialist position to support the work of receiving referrals and determining eligibility of students. ARP-HCY funds also have been used to hire a part-time Family Outreach Specialist position to manage and distribute community donations to students and families, as well as supporting the LEAs work on chronic absenteeism with students experiencing homelessness.

Another focus of Roanoke’s ARP-HCY funding is to support unaccompanied homeless youth. Roanoke City Schools is using funds to support their “Senior Shine and Dine” event to celebrate the graduation and success of seniors identified as experiencing homleessness. ARP-HCY funds are paying for iPad purchases for seniors to work on college applications, FAFSA applications, and other postsecondary planning and transitions. The Program Coordinator is in the process of developing an additional program for seniors that will focus on independent living skills to provide tools for youth in the next stage of their college or career journey. ARP-HCY funds will pay for a school counselor to support the program outside of regular contract hours.

In addition, ARP-HCY funds have made it possible for Roanoke City Schools to hire a part-time licensed clinical social worker to support the creation of the aforementioned independent living skills program. The social worker will provide regular support and professional development to staff who experience secondary trauma from supporting McKinney-Vento students in crisis. The LEA has seen an increase in domestic violence situations as a result of the pandemic, so the social worker also will provide support to conduct an initial assessment of the family and student’s situation, as well as help accessing community organizations to support survivors of domestic violence.

The Program Coordinator will collect data on these initiatives, evaluate their effectiveness, and explore additional funding to sustain them.

“It’s too bad the additional funding is the result of a pandemic, but it’s bringing awareness to all the things we aren’t getting support for, especially with unaccompanied homeless youth. With ARP-HCY funds, I’m finally getting to try things that I’ve always wanted to do during my 19 years as the homeless liaison.”
-Malora Horn, Roanoke City Schools McKinney-Vento Program Coordinator

The Wilbur Mills Education Service Cooperative in central Arkansas is leading a consortium of 10 school districts to use ARP-HCY funds to hire a systems navigator.The co-op staff met with the state homeless education coordinator, school district superintendents, homeless liaisons, counselors and other district staff members to determine the region’s needs. One emerging theme was the need to create and sustain a systems navigator position. The systems navigator will assist the 10 school districts in establishing community and cross-community partnerships with nonprofit organizations. The navigator also will collaborate with Every Arkansan and Bright Futures, two organizations with which the state education agency is contracting using ARP-HCY funds to develop a statewide rapid response system to meet the immediate needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The Wilbur Mills Education Service Cooperative systems navigator will be a two-year position and will work to create sustainable practices that will continue when ARP-HCY funding has ended.

“We are excited to be a part of this work that we know will lead to more effective and efficient services/care for our children.”
– Leasha Hayes, Wilbur Mills Education Service Cooperative

Using ESSER funds, Middletown Public Schools hired a full-time Family Services Coordinator due to the increased numbers of identified students experiencing homelessness, particularly among the multilingual learner population. When ARP-HCY Part I was distributed, the Family Services Coordinator began targeted communication and outreach to families to determine needs. Decisions on the best use of ARP-HCY funds were guided by these weekly communications and check-ins, during which time it became clear that families need support with food and winter clothing. The Family Services Coordinator uses ARP-HCY funds to purchase supermarket and store gift cards so families are able to purchase needed items. These gift cards are purchased in collaboration with the district business office, submitting purchase orders through existing store accounts.

In addition, the Family Services Coordinator determined that families need support with wraparound services. ARP-HCY funds are supporting after school transportation to the Boys and Girls Club for homework support and free meals so students end their days fed and with completed homework. The district is also providing mental health services in school buildings during school hours, in partnership with the community-based organization Newport Mental Health. The Family Services Coordinator hopes to use additional ARP-HCY funds to increase staff training in McKinney-Vento and best practices to support students.

 “I think that the flexibility of this funding has been such a huge help to homeless liaisons. There used to be more regulations on the funding but being able to use the money to help with food, phones, taxis as well as wraparound services has meant that we can be more on the front lines helping families in unconventional ways.”
– Megan Mainzer, Family Services Coordinator