ARP-HCY I & II Reminder
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) into law. In recognition of the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students experiencing homelessness, the ARP included an unprecedented $800 million to support the specific needs of homeless children and youth via the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund.
The U.S. Department of Education released ARP-HCY funds in two separate disbursements – ARP Homeless I and ARP Homeless II. The funds were intended to support the increased identification of children and youth experiencing homelessness and connect them to wrap-around and educational support services.
As part of that implementation, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will continue monitoring local educational agency drawdowns of ARP-HCY funds. As a reminder, ARP-HCY funds must be spent or obligated by the appropriate deadline.
ARP-HCY I funds (Years 1 and 2) are to be obligated by June 30, 2023. ARP-HCY I funds (Project 476I) were awarded to previous McKinney-Vento grantees.
ARP-HCY II funds (Project 476IC) are to be obligated by Sept. 30, 2024, and all districts were eligible to complete the ARP-HCY II application in GMAP. The award notifications for ARP-HCY II funds can be found on KDE's Federal Grants webpage.
After 24 Years, Pike County Homeless Liaison Passes the Torch
Rick Branham, who served Pike County Schools as the homeless liaison for nearly 24 years, has decided that now is the time to pass on the role to his successor, Mike Bentley.
Kentucky’s State Coordinator Zach Stumbo spent some time with him on a Microsoft Teams call to interview him about his years of service to the homeless children and youth in Pike County. During this time, Branham shared many of his favorite memories, hopes and dreams from the past 24 years.
Branham was offered the position of the Pike County homeless liaison in 1999 after the district began intentionally seeking grants to support its most marginalized students. When first offered the role, he thought the position would help him transition into a more traditional teaching contract within a competitive job market. Branham would wait another 23 years for that opportunity.
In the early years, Branham recalled, he had to design the program from the ground up based on the original grant approved by the Kentucky Department of Education. He was mentored by colleagues in migrant education, state coordinators and through networking at conferences.
Branham said that over his tenure, the biggest changes have been in the levels of funding for McKinney-Vento subgrants, the increasing numbers of homeless students and the impact of national conferences like the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth to change the hearts of national leaders.
Among his many accomplishments, Branham is the proudest of the numerous times he has been recognized by civic, local and state organizations for going above and beyond in his duties. Recently, the Indian Culture Association and Jobs for America’s Graduates have acknowledged his superb efforts. Branham said he also is immensely proud of his now adult son, who first came into his life through his homeless education program.
Branham believes that the Pike County homeless education program was so successful and unique because of the community support and generosity within the county. He was able to successfully network with individuals, organizations and companies. The district's largest partnership was with BB&T Bank, now known as Truist. The bank donated approximately $250,000 and Branham was able to use that money to support student and family needs not covered by McKinney-Vento and other homeless education funding. He also cited his commitment to transparency and devotion to being a good steward of the donated money to earn community support that became self-sustaining over the years.
When asked what piece of advice was most important for a new homeless local liaison, Branham strongly endorsed the importance of a work-life balance. He cautioned that the work of a homeless liaison is challenging, heartbreaking at times, and can consume every waking hour if a liaison does not set appropriate boundaries. Branham suggested that at the end of the day, liaisons go home and recharge to do what brings them joy. He acknowledged that it sounded harsh, but he believes that being able to separate the work from your life will lead to liaison retention, decrease liaison turnover and serve them best in the long term.
Looking to the future, Branham has high hopes for the homeless education program in Pike County and Eastern Kentucky.
While he is stepping down as the liaison, Branham is doing so to focus more time and energy on his long-term dream of bringing “A Home for Adam” to fruition. “A Home for Adam” is Rick’s plan to create a full-service nonprofit organization for unaccompanied youth in Pike County and Eastern Kentucky. He believes that unaccompanied youth are the least served and most at-risk students in Eastern Kentucky, as they have no place to turn for sleep and wraparound services.
Message from State Coordinator Zach Stumbo
It was an honor and a pleasure to interview Rick for this article. He holds a wealth of institutional knowledge about homeless education and how it has evolved in Kentucky over the past 24 years. His devotion to his program and reputation preceded him, and it is well deserved.
On behalf of my colleagues at the Kentucky Department of Education, I want to thank Rick Branham for his 24 years of work in homeless education. We all wish him the best as he transitions into the next stages of his career.
Please note that if your district wishes to accept monetary donations to support its students experiencing homelessness, KDE recommends consulting all local policies and procedures to ensure financial transparency and accountability.
End-of-Year Homeless Data Verification
In preparation of end of year reporting for the 2022-2023 school year, please make time to review the homeless student data in Infinite Campus (IC). This information will be used for federal reporting of the 2022-2023 school year by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).
When reporting the state’s homeless children and youth population, please ensure the data entered is accurate to guarantee that KDE reports precise information.
Inside Infinite Campus, liaisons should generate the QA Homeless Report (Detail Version) via KY State Reporting | KDE Reports and the Homeless State Published Ad-hoc Filters: “Homeless record missing for transfer students” and “Homeless record prior year but not selected year.” Districts should review the data to ensure all students served as homeless during the school year are included in the QA Homeless report. Districts also can use this report to ensure all students identified as homeless are marked to receive free lunch.
Reference the Homeless Data Standards for report description and uses and data entry instructions.
Liaisons should work with local data contacts to have this review complete and accurate by June 30. KDE extracts homeless data on July 1 annually from the Infinite Campus (no data submission required).
For program related questions, please contact Zach Stumbo, Homeless state coordinator. Data collection and reporting questions can be directed to Margalee Conlee, systems consultant IT.
From left: KDE Education Consultant Jennifer White, retiring Director of NCHE Jan Moore and KDE's State Homeless Coordinator Zach Stumbo. Photo by Natasha Stein, assistant director, KDE Division of School and Program Improvement.
2023 National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) Meeting of State Coordinators
Kentucky’s State Homeless Coordinator Zach Stumbo met with his counterparts from other states and the District of Columbia on March 7-10 in Alexandria, Va. Stumbo traveled to the meeting with colleagues from the Kentucky Department of Education, including Assistant Director of School and Program Improvement Natasha Stein and educational consultant for McKinney-Vento and Title I, Part A Jennifer White.
This year’s meeting was a notable return to in-person training for state homeless coordinators after three years of virtual meetings.
The first day of training included specialized guidance for newly appointed state coordinators. Stumbo enjoyed the opportunity to network with other new state coordinators while receiving targeted advice from seasoned coordinators and staff from NCHE. The remaining three days of training included opportunities to learn directly from experts at the U.S. Department of Education, agencies that promote homeless education, and distinguished speakers. Highlights from the meeting included a student panel, a keynote address from the State Coordinator of the Year Antiqua Hunter, Ed.D. of Louisiana, and a farewell to Jan Moore the director of technical assistance at NCHE who retired after 23 years of work in homeless education.
Identifying a Homeless Student Living in Joint Custody
Local homeless liaisons know that every student identification should be evaluated independently because each situation is unique. One of the most helpful tools that a liaison can keep on hand is the Flowchart for McKinney-Vento Eligibility Determinations created by the National Center for Homeless Education. However, even this useful tool cannot capture every nuanced situation.
Sometimes homeless liaisons encounter identifications where a student is being raised by parents or caregivers who share joint custody of the student. This can seem more complex when that student has one parent/guardian who is housed and one whose living situation meets the federal definition of homeless. That means that one of the parents/caregivers is in a situation where the nighttime residence is not regular, fixed and/or adequate.
When this situation arises, the liaison should evaluate the student as homeless. It is not enough that a shared custody agreement provides regular, fixed and/or adequate nighttime residence part of the time. Because the student lacks a regular, fixed and/or adequate nighttime residence when staying with a parent/guardian who shares custody, they meet the federal definition of homeless and should receive all McKinney-Vento services.
Additionally, it is important to remember that a parent/guardian is not necessarily neglectful because their circumstances have led to homeless identification for their child. Homeless liaisons may need to explain this to parents/guardians who are either hesitant to have their child identified or believe their child may be ineligible for the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a homeless liaison obtain the required posters needed to inform schools, students, families and the community about the McKinney-Vento Act?
The McKinney-Vento Act requires local education agencies (LEA) to ensure “public notice of the educational rights of homeless children and youths is disseminated in locations frequented by parents or guardians of such children and youths, and unaccompanied youths, including schools, shelters, public libraries, and soup kitchens, in a manner and form understandable to the parents and guardians of homeless children and youths, and unaccompanied youths.”
Putting up posters, flyers, and other informational materials in places where students and families experiencing homelessness are likely to see them can help satisfy this requirement. The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) has created informational materials that are available by a free download and can be reproduced locally.
Other publications can be ordered directly from the NCHE. Some materials are free, while others have a modest cost. For more information, please contact Zach Stumbo.
NAEHCY National Conference 2023 Dates and Suggested Planning Budget
The 2023 National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) National Conference will be held in New Orleans, La., on Nov. 11-15. Registration is now open for members, and opens for non-members May 6.
Prices have changed from previous years, and rates are lower if done online and before November. A sample of this year's rates are provided below. A virtual conference option will once again be available.
Currently the conference hotel has rooms with discounted rates averaging about $178 per night with fees. The conference hotel is the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. As of now, flights appear to range between $350-$450 depending on the airport and company.
Many liaisons who attend regularly recommend reserving $3,000 for the conference travel. KDE recommends checking with your district for your specific travel policies and requirements prior to making any arrangements.
Rates
Pre-Conference & Conference
- $948 members in person
- $1,048 nonmembers in person
- $598 members virtual
- $698 nonmembers virtual
Conference
- $699 members in person
- $700 nonmembers in person
- $399 members virtual
- $499 nonmembers virtual
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