In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness among children and youth is a significant barrier to learning recovery, contributing to declines in school enrollment, chronic absence, and mental health struggles. American Rescue Plan — Homeless Children and Youth, or ARP-HCY funds, are one-time funds that can help meet this moment. ARP-HCY funds are uniquely flexible funds to support the identification, enrollment, and school participation of children and youth experiencing homelessness, including through wrap-around services. They must be obligated by September 30, 2024 and spent by January 31, 2025.
The National Alliance partnered with SchoolHouse Connection, a national organization working to overcome homelessness through education, to bring you this conversation on maximizing the impact of ARP-HCY funds in charter schools before the deadline. This conversation includes an overview of allowable uses of funds and on-the-ground perspective from McKinney-Vento liaisons from both a small, single-site charter school and a charter network.
Here are a few key takeaways from the conversation:
- The pandemic expanded and deepened the needs of students experiencing homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic hit students in unstable living situations particularly hard and understanding those needs is critical. Melissa Peña, Director of Student Support Services at Green Dot Public Schools in Los Angeles, explains how conducting regular needs assessments allows them to make data-driven decisions rather than based on assumptions. Armed with this information, they were able to allocate their ARP-HCY funds strategically, hiring case managers to support students and build organizational capacity.
- There is still time for charter schools to find creative ways to put ARP-HCY funds to use. Though the window is closing, there is still time for charter school leaders and McKinney-Vento liaisons to make sure every dollar benefits students. Panelists discuss how to use these temporary funds for staffing, to address basic needs, to facilitate early childhood services, to support college readiness, and more. Don’t leave any money on the table!
- It’s time to start planning for sustainability beyond ARP-HCY. ARP-HCY funds have provided an incredible boost during the pandemic, but schools need to start thinking about how to sustain the impact of these funds after they run out. Panelists discuss how they are planning ahead to adjust their budgets and look for additional funding sources, such as from other grants, philanthropy, and local governments.
- Charter schools can leverage their autonomy and flexibility to support their students experiencing homelessness. Flexibility and direct access to decision makers are the biggest assets to doing this work in a charter school setting. Accessible leadership that understands the challenges of the work helps make it possible to respond to changing needs nimbly.
Additional resources:
- Reach out to Karen Rice ([email protected]) with questions.
Fiona Sheridan-McIver is the director of policy at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
