Guest Blogs

Written by John C.S. Kepner, advisor to the College Student Basic Needs Program and Trustee Board Member of Gwynedd Mercy University (GMercyU) in suburban Philadelphia. In this blog, John describes his journey of putting together a coalition of community-based organizations to address the problem of food and housing insecurity in GMercyU.

November, both is Children’s Grief Awareness Month and includes National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week. In recognition of these twin tragedies, we interviewed Debra Albo-Steiger, CEO of Children’s Bereavement Center in Miami and former homeless liaison for Miami-Dade Public Schools, about the connection between grief and homelessness, and how school district liaisons can help grieving students.

Written by Earl Edwards. “As a researcher, I have spent the past six years analyzing the intersections of youth homelessness and racial inequity and have found that for several reasons, many Black youth are not disclosing their homelessness status, and attempts to identify and support them continue to fall short.” This blog describes how Black community-based organizations are underutilized resources for helping Black youth thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, especially those experiencing homelessness.

Written by Vikki C. Terrile, Librarian and Assistant Professor, Queensborough Community College, CUNY, Bayside, NY. “Libraries are often a lifeline for families in homeless situations. Prior to the pandemic, they were the place where kids and parents could come to use computers, access services, attend programs, and of course, read and borrow books and other materials. For families staying in shelters or other settings that required them to leave during the day, libraries were likely the only safe indoor space they could visit that didn’t cost money while also offering a wide range of services and amenities.”

Throughout the month of February, we hosted a series of conversations titled “Engaging and Re-engaging Students Experiencing Homelessness During the Pandemic,” to allow homeless liaisons a space to share their challenges and best practices to support students experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Here are those conversations.

Written by Audrey Ann Crocker, University of South Carolina Social Worker Graduate Intern and Colin Bauer, District Social Worker & McKinney-Vento Liaison, Spartanburg School District 7, South Carolina. “It was mid-summer when one of our volunteers, Melissa, contacted Colin Bauer, a social worker with School District 7, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was also mid-pandemic and the needs of our families in District 7 were at an all-time high. Melissa felt drawn to respond to the needs of these families after witnessing several experiences of poverty in the area, which highlighted how many of our families did not have the shelter and the food they needed.”

Written by Colleen Flanagan, Homeless Liaison, Executive Assistant for Student Support Services, Orting School District, Washington. In Orting, it was clear back in September that a few of our student groups really needed to come back to in-person learning as soon as possible. We began the work to provide priority for in person learning, focusing on two groups. One was our students with IEPs, specifically those with the most significant disabilities and whose families were struggling at home with online schooling. The other group was our McKinney-Vento students.

This blog is written by Ann Willemssen, Director, UPD Consulting. UPD Consulting, in collaboration with the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development and Baltimore City Schools, recently designed a model program which connects affordable housing opportunities to elementary school families. The work started as an idea by a Baltimore elementary school principal who noticed, while placing his McKinney Vento-identified students into taxi cabs to stay in shelters and on couches across town, that there were vacant homes right across the street that could be put to better use.

“Given the alarming number of young children experiencing homelessness outside the K-12 school system in Washington State, we wanted to learn more about how early learning programs can better support these children and their families. We decided to look into identifying and improving state policies and encouraging collaboration between housing and early learning providers.” In this two-part blog, Megan Veith and Katara Jordan, Senior Managers at Building Changes, share activities and learnings through the State Partnerships grant of the Education Leads Home campaign (Part One), and updates and the impacts of COVID-19 on children and families experiencing homelessness in Washington state (Part Two).

“I’ve always known I wanted to be an attorney. My mom used to say I decided that at age seven and stuck with it. And it’s true, through being homeless in high school, and working three jobs in undergrad, to half starving my way through law school, I had one goal: become a lawyer. Then I failed that damn bar exam and it broke me. I didn’t mean to let it, but it did. After overcoming so many hardships, this damn test took me down. And the shame… the shame of knowing that I had what it takes to pass, but hadn’t… The shame of watching all of my friends pass. And the loss… the loss of all that I’d thought I’d be.” In this blog, Bréyon Austin shares how she turned the pain of 2020 into triumph.

“As we went back to school this fall, we faced many challenges. Some of the biggest ones were, and continue to be, 1) Where are our students? 2) What kind of learning will best accommodate each student? 3) How will we provide transportation once we start to open school buildings? We haven’t physically seen our students since March, so first, we are working to find our students and make sure they are fully incorporated in our program and our schools.” By Melissa Douglas, Homeless Liaison, Kansas City Public Schools, Missouri.

“As the founder and Executive Director of The Scholarship Academy, a nonprofit organization that connects low-income families to a four-year college funding pipeline, I’ve spent the last decade empowering students to take ownership of the financial aid process. The last six months alone have unveiled a financial aid triple threat that cannot be ignored.” By Jessica Johnson, Executive Director, The Scholarship Academy, Atlanta, GA.

This blog is written by Marsha Basloe, President of Child Care Services Association. “One strategy I would recommend to others working in early childhood is to connect regularly with peers. In North Carolina, we have a call every two weeks with early childhood partners across the state: child care administrators, child care health consultants, Head Start directors, our Smart Start agencies here in North Carolina, and others. We share our challenges and brainstorm potential solutions.”

Cynthia A. Núñez, a Social Worker at Lewiston Independent School District in Idaho wanted to do more for families who were facing food insecurity during the pandemic. Their district created “Grab N Go” meals for families during the week but that didn’t seem enough. Read on to find out what Cynthia did to lift not only lift the families’ spirits but also her own.

In this guest perspective, Charlotte Kinzley, McKinney-Vento liaison for Minneapolis Public Schools, describes the promising outcomes of Stable Homes Stable Schools, an initiative that supports eighteen schools with the highest rates of homelessness and provides access to ongoing rental assistance or one-time emergency assistance and wrap around services. “One critical and unique aspect of this housing initiative is that it focuses on the children in the family to prioritize those most in need and to measure success. Very rarely do we see this focus in the prioritization within our homeless response systems. The lack of focus on children’s needs is short-sighted when we know that homelessness is often generational, and therefore, we will not end homelessness without paying close attention to the needs of children in our community.”

“I was a teacher for students with disabilities when I entered the William & Mary doctoral program almost 25 years ago. I still see myself primarily as an educator. I truly believe that nothing we do in education makes a difference unless it affects a student. Since teachers have the most direct influence on our students, it is imperative that they be part of our work in homeless education.”

By Johanna Ulseth, Student Services Coordinator and Homeless Liaison at Briya Public Charter School, Washington DC. As the 2020 United States Census is approaching, Briya and Mary’s Center have been working together to ensure that all of our students are informed of the process and empowered to participate. This blog details how Briya Public Charter Schools in Washington, DC are ensuring everyone gets counted in 2020.

Jo Zimmer, MPAE, owner of Beyond-the-Box Strategies, LLC, brings more than 20 years’ experience in safety net programs, most recently to the 28-county Rural Oregon Continuum of Care (ROCC), in her contracted role as Consultant/Coordinator for the Oregon team’s State Partnerships on Student Homelessness Project. By helping agencies and entities cooperatively address issues of housing, homelessness, and poverty in rural Oregon, she hopes to assist communities in doing “better” with less and reframe traditional thinking about funding and service delivery. In this blog, Jo tells us about host homes in Oregon and how they help promote high school graduation for students experiencing homelessness.

Tina Marie is a SchoolHouse Connection Young Leader and the current Director of the A Bed for Every Child program at the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, which seeks to provide beds for children who are living in poverty without a bed of their own. Before leading this program, she was the Coalition’s Community Organizer and Legislative Advocate, helping to manage successful public policy campaigns that directly addressed the need to prevent and end homelessness by strengthening state-funded resources for Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents. During this time, Tina Marie often shared her own experiences as a homeless youth at the state and federal level to help identify the needs of youth who are at-risk of or are currently experiencing homelessness.

We interview Anne Giordano, MA, DSP, IMH-E®, who is an Early Childhood Specialist at EdAdvance in Litchfield, CT. She has coordinated a McKinney-Vento subgrant for the school district, provides training for the CT Association in Infant Mental Health, and frequently develops and provides training at the state and national levels on the impact of homelessness on expectant parents, young children and their families.

Authored by: Heather Denny, State Coordinator for Homeless Education, Montana Office of Public Instruction. “I’ve been to countless conferences. I’ve sat through hours of professional development. I’ve probably spent days conferring with liaisons, service providers, school administrators, national policy experts, advocates, and my peers who do this work. But when a youth experiencing homelessness came to stay with me and my family, I learned more in one week than I’ve learned in a very long time.”

In this guest perspective, Jani Koester, Resource Teacher with Madison Metropolitan School District’s Transition Education Program, reminds us that “Back to School” happens all year long for students experiencing homelessness, and that being prepared for a new student, and taking time for transitions, are essential practices for success.

In this guest perspective, Kathy Mustacato Wigtil, Ed.D., Baylor University, offers insights from her students and her research on how educators can better support students experiencing homelessness.

The University of South Florida (USF) is enhancing its services to students who are currently or have been homeless. Identification and outreach, tailored wellness coaching, a website specific to this population, year-round housing opportunities, and the redesign of a process by which homeless students can receive a tuition waiver are all components of our approach to fostering the success of these high-priority USF students.

This piece by Homeless Education Program Coordinator Catherine Knowles, captures some of the most pressing challenges, inspiring triumphs, and innovative strategies experienced and implemented by practitioners supporting students experiencing homelessness around the country.

Amy Kendall, Program Director of the Maryville Crisis Nursery, and Chris Perille, Maryville Crisis Nursery Advisory Council member, describe how crisis nurseries provide essential support to families with urgent needs, including families experiencing homelessness.

Daniel Shephard is the President of the Implementation Science and Communication Strategies Group and a former member of the Office of Evaluation Sciences and the Obama administration’s White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. He writes here about his perspective on the behaviorally-informed email communications project developed by the Office of Evaluation Sciences.

This piece by Homeless Education Liaison Sue Lenahan is the first in a series of blog posts that, in five questions, captures some of the most pressing challenges, inspiring triumphs, and innovative strategies experienced and implemented by practitioners supporting students experiencing homelessness around the country.

There is always a sense of pride and accomplishment in the days leading up to a graduation ceremony. Some students will continue their studies in graduate or professional schools; some may have job offers already lined up; and some may still be figuring out their next steps. In this guest perspective, authors from Western Carolina University share strategies for helping vulnerable youth make a successful transition after college.

By Miguel Arellano Sanchez, Basic Needs Navigator at The Human Services Resource Center (HSRC) at Oregon State University (OSU). Navigating college as a first-generation college student can feel like making your way through a maze with no map, filled with “learn as you go” lessons, and “wow, I wish I knew this then.” When you combine it with being low-income, homeless, and/or food insecure, it can feel like you’re navigating the same maze blindfolded, on a tightrope, balancing multiple responsibilities. It should not be like this.

“When I learned about SchoolHouse Connection’s Tennessee legislation to help college students experiencing homelessness, I immediately was compelled to reach out to my legislators asking for their support. I know the tangible, long-term value of education in overcoming homelessness. I know it because I have lived it. Here is my letter to my legislators urging them to support legislation to help college students experiencing homelessness.”

By Ross E. O’Hara, Ph.D., Behavioral Researcher at Persistence Plus. “Imagine going to college yet living on the brink of financial disaster. That’s the situation in which Terry* found himself during his first semester at a community college in northeastern Ohio. Initially excited about starting college and earning his associate’s degree, he quickly became pessimistic, texting to us by the seventh week of the semester, ‘I used to be bad at failing now I’m even better at it!’

By Carol Klocek, CEO, Center for Transforming Lives, Ft. Worth, TX. “There is no cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all solution to family homelessness…Real solutions are as complex as the families who experience homelessness. But if we truly want to end family homelessness in our communities, we must take the time to find and create real solutions for real families.”    

By Jill Getman, Homeless Tutor, Independence School District, Missouri. “Education is the key to ending homelessness, and if I can help one student in their journey, I’ve done my job.  Each week when I walk in, I know I will see new faces; but more often than not, I see a face I have seen the previous week, along with a hug and an “I’m so glad you are back!””

In this guest perspective from Tori Vohland, Children in Transition High School Liaison and Jennifer Harris, Program Evaluator at the Washoe County School District, they hope to inspire others working in PreK-12 educational settings to examine rates of chronic absenteeism among the students they serve and think about how they might use absenteeism data to help identify students who are experiencing homelessness.

In Chicago, Depaul USA has focused its work on serving the estimated 50 DePaul University students who experience homelessness each academic quarter. Depaul USA created the Dax Program in 2015, providing housing, case management, counseling referrals, transportation, food and book stipends, and educational reimbursements to homeless students.

By Barbara Anita Baldwin, Senior Coordinator of Site Management, Early Learning Division, ABCD Inc., Bridgeport, CT. “One day, he looked out the window watching the construction outside. I asked him what he was thinking. He stated that he was tired of the doors always changing color. I asked him, “What color were the doors?”  He told me red, brown, and blue.  He stated he just wanted to get back to his door. The red door.”

Many college students experiencing homelessness are also hungry and food insecure. In response, some colleges and universities create food banks and food pantries. In honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, we highlight Holyoke Community College’s unique strategy to raise awareness, partner with faculty, and create delicious recipes by creating a “Chopped Challenge.” Read here.

By Mary Ellen Mitchell, Co-Director, Lydia’s House, Cincinnati, OH. “On the early afternoon of August 21, 2018, we received a call to our intake line. St. Vincent de Paul asked us to provide housing for a young woman, Mia, and her three-year-old daughter, Kiley. We were told that Mia had been living in her car with Kiley for over a month.”

By Debra Albo-Steiger, District Homeless Liaison for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “The trauma faced by the children, youth, and adults who experience hurricanes or any natural disaster can be felt for years. A year after these storms, we still see the hardship faced by so many with roofs that have not been repaired and homes that were not able to be saved.”

By DJ QuirinMa, Federal Programs Data Analyst, Montana Office of Public Instruction, Christy Hendricks, Data control specialist for CTE, Montana Office of Public Instruction, and Heather Denny, State Coordinator for Homeless Education, Montana Office of Public Instruction. “Here in Montana, we began to look at the programs that all high schools, both urban and rural, already had in place. We found that for students experiencing homelessness, the completion of three or more Career and Technical Education courses lowered the likelihood of dropping out by half. There were no dropouts among the students who participated in a Career and Technical Student Organization.” 

By Brandy S. Gros M.A., Founder/CEO, Dorm Room Dreamz L3C. “I never thought about that!” “There’s such a thing as homeless college students?” These are the common reactions I get when I explain what Dorm Room Dreamz L3C (DRDz) is all about.

By Jani Koester, President of the Dane County WI Homeless Services Consortium Board of Directors, Resource Teacher with Madison Metropolitan School District’s Transition Education Program. “Mom went to coordinated intake to check on the status of their name on the priority list and found out that they had been removed from the list because they are no longer staying at the shelter or in their car. It was a long night for the family because they had been in the top 20 and thought that by now they would be connecting with housing. No one told them their name had come off the list. No one helped them look for other resources.”

By Kylee Fuhr, District Homeless Liaison, St. Lucie Public Schools, Florida. “I was astonished to learn that we had 106 McKinney-Vento seniors registered, but we had never arranged a tour of our local institute of higher education, Indian River State College. I knew I had to figure out a way to get these students interested in college and aware of the benefits of pursuing their undergraduate education…”

By Leslie Camden Goold, MSW, School Social Worker/McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison, Central Valley School District, Washington. This June, I am stepping outside my comfort zone to honor the unknown challenges that these students face every summer and raise awareness about homelessness. I am going to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail to acknowledge the daily struggles these students are facing without the safety net of school. I will publicize my journey in the local media, and invite those moved to help to contribute to my McKinney-Vento program.

By Beth McCullough, Homeless Education Liaison, Adrian Public Schools, MI. He had been in 5 different high schools in 2 years. He missed his whole freshman year because of homeschooling that resulted in no credit. His chance of graduating on time? “About 2%,” someone said in a meeting.

By Cynthia A. Núñez  MSW, McKinney-Vento Liaison, Lewiston, ID. “One night last fall, I lay awake, replaying a conversation I had had with a fellow social worker regarding homelessness in our community. I recalled his words about “the overall lack of concern for a population that many choose to ignore” and I contemplated what could I do to make a difference.” 

I sat down with a young man I have worked with since he was in middle school. He is now 17 years old. He was homeless with his mother, and he is now homeless as an unaccompanied youth. “Well Jay, it’s that time of the year. What would you like for Christmas?” I asked.

By Deidra Thomas-Murray, Homeless Liaison, Saint Louis Public Schools. Teachers arrive at work prepared to teach students who may seem to be prepared to learn. But how prepared can students be when they are living under stressful housing conditions? I ask, “How likely are teachers to understand,” because there was a time in my career that I did not “get it.”

In this SchoolHouse Connection Guest Perspective, Barb Dexter, McKinney-Vento liaison for the Anchorage School District, shares powerful examples of the policies and practices that her school district uses to implement the McKinney-Vento Act, re-engage students who have left school, and help them obtain a key to their future: a high school degree.

By Marta Martinez, McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Liaison, Northside ISD, Texas. “As the enrollment of students identified as being impacted by Hurricane Harvey increased, so did my concerns about how their needs would be met as they enrolled at campuses throughout our large district.”

By Jonathan Houston, Equal Opportunity Schools, former Tukwila School District, WA liaison. “‘This was not supposed to happen to me.’ That was the first thought that went through my mind during my first year as a McKinney-Vento liaison. I finally had a decent job and had begun to progress toward my professional career in providing equity. I was the guy who was supposed to help everybody else…but homelessness was not supposed to happen to me.”

By Lisa Berglund, Masters in Public Policy, University of Maryland. When I met Trevon* at the therapeutic nursery at his family’s shelter in Baltimore, his teacher gave me a warning. “Be careful about getting close to him,” she said. “He gets scared around strangers.” This little boy, not yet two years old, had already been through significant trauma in his short life, which made him wary of his surroundings.

By Nakita Scott, School Social Worker, Polk County, Florida. During the first few months of working with the HEARTH Project, I wasn’t aware of the vast needs of unaccompanied homeless youth. Then I encountered a young lady who asked me a simple question: “What is the difference between a debit card and a credit card, and how do I balance my checkbook?” It was then that I realized these youth were on their own, without basic skills to take care of themselves.

By Anne Giordano, Early Childhood Consultant, Litchfield, CT. What is it like to be tiny, and homeless? What might it be like to be pregnant and homeless? And what are the short and long term consequences?

Back when I was in high school, my brother and I went to see our high school counselor to express our desire to attend college. Right away she expressed her concerns that college might not be the best choice for us. She recommended we set our sights a little lower.

By Roxana Parise, Homeless Liaison, Bellingham Public Schools, WA. I was 11 years old the first time I witnessed an immigration raid. My family was living in central California and we were working in the fields picking blackberries. For a long time, I had nightmares that I was going to be taken away from my family, never to see them again…Today, as a homeless liaison, I work with many families who have at least one undocumented member in their family.

By Anthony Kibble, McKinney-Vento State Coordinator, Oklahoma. During my career, I have had the opportunity to focus my efforts on strengthening the Oklahoma child serving system from both a direct practice and administrative level. This experience has supported me greatly in the administrative work that is often focused on compliance, grant administration, policy, statutes, and laws.

By Ellen McLaughlin, Homeless Liaison, Sarasota, FL. To say that Alex, age 17, was overwhelmed when she gave birth this past spring would have been an understatement. She had dropped out of high school and was on her own and homeless. Having access to prioritized child care changed everything for them, because it meant that both Alex and her son could move forward together.

By Beth McCullough, Homeless Education Liaison, Adrian Public Schools, MI. The police were called. There was violence. Parents went to jail. It was one of the worst days of her life. When all was said and done, she landed with a friend and needs to pay rent. “I have to quit school and get a job,” she said.

By Beth McCullough, homeless liaison, Adrian Public Schools. I have a fish tank in my office. Right now it has only two fish. It could use one more. When students come into my office they want to feed them and I let them. Preschool students to high school students like to gaze at them.

By Beth McCullough, McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison, Adrian Public Schools, MI. They had lived in five different places within six months. Their path included staying with friends, two shelters and a motel. When all of their resources were spent, I put them in a motel for a week with no idea of where they were going to go after that.

Beth McCullough is the McKinney-Vento homeless liaison for Adrian Public Schools in Adrian, MI. We are honored that Beth has agreed to share her essays as part of our Guest Perspectives blog.