PowerPoint Presentation

							The McKinney-Vento Act
 Title X, Part C of NCLB

                   Dana Scott
        State Coordinator for the Education of
            Homeless Children and Youth

              Scott_d@cde.state.co.us
                   303-866-6930
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

    Unaccompanied homeless youth are young people
     who lack safe, stable housing and who are not in
     the care of a parent or guardian
    They live in a variety of temporary situations,
     including shelters, the homes of friends or
     relatives, cars, campgrounds, public parks,
     abandoned buildings, motels, and bus or train
     stations



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        Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

   By law, Districts must:
    – Identify and verify eligibility as defined by the
        McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
    –   Assist unaccompanied homeless youth in school
        enrollment and placement decisions
    –   Ensure unaccompanied homeless homeless youth are
        enrolled immediately and are fully participating in
        school
    –   Facilitate dispute resolution process, if needed
    –   Connect unaccompanied homeless youth with school
        and community resources

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     What About College? Can
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Apply
     for Federal Financial Aid?

 Yes, with assistance from advocates
 Due to severe poverty, they are extremely
  unlikely to be able to access postsecondary
  education without federal student aid
 The FAFSA requires most students to provide
  financial information and signatures from
  parents/guardians
 These requirements create insurmountable
  barriers
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    College Cost Reduction and Access Act

   In September of 2007, President Bush signed into law the
    College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
   Included within this legislation are amendments to expand
    the definition of independent student in FAFSA to include:
        (1) unaccompanied homeless youth;
        (2) youth who are in foster care at any time after the age of 13
                or older, and;
        (3) youth who are emancipated minors or are in legal
                guardianships as determined by an appropriate court in
                the individual's state of residence.


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     College Cost Reduction Act
   Youth can be independent students if they are verified
    as unaccompanied and homeless during the school year
    in which the application is submitted, or
    unaccompanied, at risk of homelessness, and self-
    supporting
 Verification must be made by one of the following:
(1) a McKinney-Vento Act school district liaison
(2) a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
    homeless assistance program director or their designee
(3) a Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program director
    or their designee, or;
(4) a financial aid administrator

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           Changes to FAFSA
   Questions 55 – 60 simplify application process for
    unaccompanied youth who were homeless or at risk of
    being homeless (as well as foster youth, dependent/wards of the
    court, emancipated minors and youth in legal guardianship)
   Students who answer yes to a question 58 – 60 can now
    submit FAFSA application but will be asked later for
    documentation         (from a homeless liaison, director of an emergency
    shelter program, or director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center
    or transitional living program)



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           FAFSA Resources

   FAFSA Tips for Unaccompanied Youth Without
    Stable Housing
    http://www.naehcy.org/dl/fafsa_tips_09-10.doc
   Helping Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Access
    College Financial Aid
    http://www.naehcy.org/dl/uy_higher_ed.doc
   Higher Education Act Reauthorization: Homeless
    and Foster Youth
    http://www.naehcy.org/dl/hea_summ.doc

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            FAFSA Resources
   Income Tax and the FAFSA for Unaccompanied
    Homeless Youth
    http://www.naehcy.org/dl/tax_fafsa.doc
   Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Verification
    For the Purposes of Federal Financial Aid
    http://www.naehcy.org/dl/uy_fafsa_verif.doc




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       State and National Partners
in Educating Homeless Children and Youth
               Colorado Department of Education (CDE)
   Dana Scott, State Coordinator for the Educ. of Homeless Children and Youth
           Ph: 303-866-6930 Email: scott_d@cde.state.co.us
         www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprevention/homeless_index.htm
           National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
                www.serve.org/nche Ph: 336-315-7453
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
            (NAEHCY)- Barbara Duffield, National Policy Advisor
                  www.naehcy.org Ph: (202) 364.7392
      National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP)
                  www.nlchp.org Ph: 202-638-2535


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