School District of Lancaster Board Gives Kudos to Homeless Student Program Staff

The recipients of Lancaster School District’s Kudos Card this month are Ken Marzinko and Becky Ortega-Lyda who recently completed nearly 20 years of overseeing the coordination of the winter wonderland on the fourth floor of Carter and MacRae Elementary School during the holiday season. These dedicated staff members manage the homeless student program which has grown to serve over 1000 students each year. Every winter Ken and Becky receive thousands of generous gifts and monetary donations from the greater Lancaster Community to purchase items so that students in need will receive special presents during the holiday season.

Christmas Made Better for Students Experiencing Homelessness in Northwestern Pa.!
Wendy Kinnear, Region 5 Coordinator for the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness program brings holiday cheer to children in 10 counties in northwestern Pennsylvania counties. Ms. Kinnear delivered 160 gifts to children in all 10 counties this year which were bought by community “angels” who stepped up after school districts and other organizations identified children who might not get a gift otherwise. Since July 1, 2011 a total of 992 children in Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties have been identified as homeless, Kinnear said, although some of the children have found housing by now.

PHOTO: DELIVERING GIFTS – Wendy Kinnear, right, delivers Christmas gifts for homeless children in Butler and nine other counties. That is one of the tasks she has as a regional coordinator for the state's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness program. The presents were bought by private donors. At left is Jennifer Flaherty, case manager at the Prince of Peace Center in Farrell, Mercer County, where these gifts were taken. 

New Guidance Released by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the Definition of Homelessness
The definition of homelessness used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Homeless Assistance Programs was amended by the HEARTH Act in May 2009. The final rule establishing regulations for this definition was just published in the Federal Register on December 5, 2011. For an explanation of these changes to the definition that are of greatest relevance to children, youth and families, and a description of the new record keeping and documentation requirements for HUD homeless assistance programs, click here.

 Please remember that:

1. School districts, Head Start programs, child nutrition programs, higher education programs, and special education programs use the Department of Education’s (ED) definition of homelessness, not HUD’s definition; and
2. The changes to the HUD definition of homelessness do not alter, limit or in any way change the ED definition of homelessness, or the responsibilities of public schools, Head Start programs, or colleges and universities to meet their obligations to all children and youth who meet the ED definition of homelessness.

National Center for Homeless Education Resources
The National Center for Homeless Education has resources to assist in improving services for students experiencing homelessness. A brief description of each document is provided. For further elaboration or guidance on any of these issues and the implementation of McKinney-Vento within Pennsylvania, please contact your Regional Coordinator or the Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program State Coordinator, Sheldon Winnick, Pennsylvania Department of Education at (717) 783-6468. Click here to view and download the resources.

For more information about the conference or NAEHCY’s resources and information, click here.

New Resource on Youth Homelessness and Juvenile Justice
The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) has announced a new publication, Best Practices in Interagency Collaboration: Youth Homelessness and Juvenile Justice, which provides basic information to help understand the juvenile court process and explain why the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act can assist juvenile justice agencies in supporting the enrollment in and success with school. Click here to view this resource.

Education for Homeless Youth Basic Education Circular (BEC)
Click here to view the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program BEC 42 U.S.C.A. 11431 et seq., issued February 3, 2010, reviewed September 1, 2011.

For more information about PDE's Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program, please contact Sheldon Winnick, State Coordinator at (717) 783-6468.

New Resources to Support Unaccompanied Youth In School and Out
The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth has developed three toolkits to support unaccompanied youth. Each toolkit contains a series of one to two briefs with specific strategies that have been tailored to specific stakeholder groups: high school counselors and McKinney-Vento liaisons, shelters and service providers, and college and university financial aid administrators. Topics include protocols for enrolling unaccompanied youth in school, a checklist and tools to launch an identification event in schools and shelters, basic information about the HEARTH Act, FAFSA information, tip sheets on access to services, and training resources. These publications are available at no charge at www.naehcy.org.

Learn More about the 2011-12 Data Collection Process/Procedure for School Districts
The 2011-12 webinar regarding school district data collection for the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness was conducted on Friday, September 16, 2011. Over 140 school district personnel participated. Please review the documents used during the presentation and listen to the recording to obtain an update as to the current year forms and procedures for documenting services to children and youth experiencing homelessness. Please also feel free to share the information with colleagues responsible for identifying and serving your students experiencing homelessness. Click here to access the recording of the webinar and to view the slides/handouts.