“Untangling the Web: Collaborations Between Housing Agencies and

School Districts to Meet HEARTH Act Requirements”

November 6, 2011Presenters•DeKalb KidsHome Collaborative•Fulton County Schools•Atlanta Public Schools

Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH

Act)http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-

8835.pdf

• Consolidates three separate homeless assistance programs

• Codifies the Continuum of Care Planning Process

• Defines the terms, “homeless”, “homeless individual” and so forth

Codifies the Continuum of Care Planning Process

http://www.naehcy.org/hudnofa.htm

1. The Continuum of Care (CoC)Applicant must demonstrate collaboration with education agencies.

2. The CoC must consider the educational needs of children and not disrupt children’s education.

3. Project applicants must demonstrate practices consistent with McKinney –Vento Act.

4. Applicants must designate staff to ensure children are enrolled in school and connected to services.

HUD awards homeless assistance grants to organizations across the country to ameliorate homelessness and its effect on people's lives. With the link below you can locate CoCs around the country, find CoC contact information and find report

data.

Continuum of Care (CoC)

http://hudhre.info/index.cfm?do=viewCocContacts

The CoC lead agency should be able to direct you for assistance to specific homeless assistance programs serving the CoC area.

Defines “homeless”, “homeless individual”…

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-8835.pdf

“The proposed rule clarifies that individuals and families

may qualify as homeless under four possible categories,

corresponding to the broad categories established by the

statutory language of the definition in section 103 of the

McKinney-Vento Act as amended by the Hearth Act.”

Primary Nighttime Residence Data : 2008-2009

History of DeKalb KidsHome Collaborative

Inspired by a mother and son struggling with homelessness in early 2010. Project Community Connections, Inc. (PCCI) and Decatur Cooperative Ministry (DCM) partnered with the DeKalb County School System, DeKalb County Public Schools Foundation, and First Step Staffing to launch the DeKalb KidsHome Collaborative.

The purpose of the collaborative is to create whole, stable lives for families with school-age students struggling against homelessness.

Where Do We Go From Here?

VIDEOThe DeKalb KidsHome Collaborative

HousingHousing + EducationEducation = SuccessSuccess

What we did and why

Challenges to Family Success •Lack of affordable housing and/or family emergency and transitional housing options•Fragmented system and lack of capacity make it hard for families, on their own, to negotiate the system and address their needs•Lack of stable employment

What we did and why

Opportunities for Increased Success

•One-stop shop concept where family needs can be addressed in individualized fashion. •Reduce redundancy in services, specialize in areas of expertise, and ensure more comprehensive approaches for clients.•Get/keep families stably housed and provide educational environment that has been shown to be important for good child outcomes.

Marketing and Educational Awareness

Getting “Buy In”

•In-Service Training with School Social Workers•Trained homeless services staff on referral process. •Presentation at Regional, Statewide, National Meetings•Video Production and Brochure

VIDEOFulton County Schools

Where Students Come FirstWhere Students Come First

“The Role school can play in the lives of Fulton County’s homeless students”

Financial Resources

•Seed funds from School Foundation•Focus on private funding:

oFamily and Corporate FoundationsoUnited Way and Community FoundationoChamber of Commerce

•Received over $175,000 to date •Emergency Solutions Grants

Sustaining the Collaborative

•Developing MOUs on protocols•Develop joint release of information forms•Develop online data & referral tracking system•Expanding collaborative partnerships•Secure new facility – One Stop Shop•Unrestricted Financial Resources to “fill in gaps”•Create Advisory Committee•Marketing and Educational Awareness•Funding… funding… funding