Post by title1parent on May 3, 2009 7:46:39 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1555907,2_1_AU03_HOMELESS_S1.article
Study: More students homeless
Increase seen as combination of poor economy, better reporting
May 3, 2009
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@scn1.com
When Deb Dempsey reports the number of homeless students across the Fox Valley is rising -- in some districts exponentially -- she says it with a smile.
The homeless liason with the Kane County Regional Office of Education sees the increase as a job well done on her behalf.
Homeless students '08-09
East Aurora: 138
West Aurora: 153
St. Charles: 40
Kaneland: 6
Batavia: 17
Geneva: 2
From reaching out to families in shelters and informing them of their rights, to training district liaisons how to identify qualifying families, Dempsey has spent more than a decade ensuring a system is in place to catch children who might fall through the cracks.
The state requires that homeless children receive transportation to and from school free of charge, with their choice of what school they want to attend regardless of what district the family resides in.
It further requires schools to register homeless children even if they lack normally required documents, such as immunization records or proof of residence. The state legislation became federal law in 2002 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
"I can anecdotally say that homeless children are far, far better educated now than before this legislation passed and so many districts became aware of the issue," Hesed House Executive Director Ryan Dowd said.
"There's a sense of security in routine," he said. "The kids can say, I went to school when I was housed, I saw my friends, I played with sports. If they are homeless and not in the same neighborhood, they can still keep their same friends. It gives them a sense of normalcy in a time that feels anything but ... it's a grounding effect. Their housing situation has changed, but life has not been destroyed."
In East Aurora, district liaison Valerie Gudgeon has seen the number of students taking advantage of services nearly double in the past year. Students from Plano, Wheaton and Oswego are counted among the 140 students identified as homeless. In 2000, only 48 students qualified.
"The last year and this year, the rise was due to the poor economy," she said. "But another main reason is I'm educating more staff and parents about homeless educational rights and responsibilities."
Gudegeon has learned everything she knows from Dempsey and has helped countless families receive services when in distress.
"Two different times this year shelters filled up and we've had families living in cars," she said. "That's never happened before."
At Hesed House, however, Dowd said the number of children residents is on the decline.
"They are completely defying the national statistics," he said. "And quite honestly, I don't know why."
Fewer than 30 children call Hesed House home, as opposed to three or four years ago when the number was as high as 80, Dowd said.
That number might have to do with the increasing number of relatives providing housing for loved ones facing foreclosure or eviction.
"I'm encouraged to know how much families are stepping up and caring for loved ones who lose housing in the recession," he said.
What schools must do
Still, under the law, a family who is "doubling up," living with an aunt, uncle, brother, sister, parent, can qualify as homeless and receive services.
And while strides are being made to help educate families and district liaisons, Diane Nilan, president of HEAR US, an organization giving voice to homeless youth, said there is always more to be done.
"How are families being made aware of the (federal) McKinney-Vento act?" she questioned. "Typically in these economic times, no one is proud that they have to move in with a sister or brother. Are (people registering students) making sure there's a point in the conversation with a family where they address whether they are homeless?
"People don't always say, 'Hi, we're homeless and we want to go to school here.' It gets to be a real covert thing when you think there's no room to be open and honest."
By law, districts are required to place notices of the law in public areas like a gym or school office. Each district must have someone in charge of tracking numbers, working with families and training staff.
"When you think homeless, you think you live in an alley, or under a bridge, or in a car, and that's not true," Gudgeon said. "Homelessness means you lost your apartment or home due to a hardship: a fire, an eviction, you can't pay your rent ... families 'doubling up' or living with a relative are still eligible for services."
This keeps students in their current schools or gets them into new schools within 24 hours of their move. It helps families already in financial distress with money for school supplies, transportation and field trips.
More can be done
Dempsey opens up her 6.5-hour class to all liaisons and anyone who might benefit from the information. While there is no state mandate requiring those involved in the registration process to attend, it's highly recommended, she said.
Dowd said he also recognizes the importance of administrative education on the law, and cited "big disparities" between what different districts understand about the law and how many resources they have.
"Imagine being a poor mother calling, not knowing what to do, and no one has an answer," he said. "Imagine saying, 'Hey, I live in my brother's basement. What does that mean?' and no one knows."
Nilan questioned whether districts are sufficiently training staff to be alert to possible symptoms of homelessness.
"Are families being made aware of the act and their rights under the law?" she queried. "And who is determining whether the face value of the situation is really the case, or whether there is more to the story."
She wondered whether the nearly 400 students taken out of the West Aurora School District last year could have qualified to stay.
"I cannot believe that you would have 400 kids kicked out and that due diligence was done in really looking at homeless issues," she said.
The district, which also saw a dramatic increase in homeless students this year -- 151 compared with 81 in 2007-08 -- has said homelessness is determined on a case-by-case basis as guided by the law.
"The responses and circumstances of the family determine whether the family is determined homeless," district spokesman Mike Chapin said. He noted that while there are posters around district facilities, the majority of issues come to light during conversations at registration as families state their situations.
"There is training for staff and principals regarding the identification of homeless," he said. "If a parent does not openly state a situation, the staff may ask questions and listen for responses that would indicate that the family is homeless according to the law."
He said indicators are used to help the staff identify when to ask further questions.
Under the law, families identifying themselves as homeless are to receive services immediately and have questions resolved later. Only twice in Gudgeon's time as a district liaison did she have to investigate a false claim. Getting students into school and serviced as soon as possible is the law's ultimate goal, and East sticks by the policy, "admit now, ask later."
"Our job is to help students have their education disrupted as little as possible, wherever they land," she said.
Study: More students homeless
Increase seen as combination of poor economy, better reporting
May 3, 2009
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@scn1.com
When Deb Dempsey reports the number of homeless students across the Fox Valley is rising -- in some districts exponentially -- she says it with a smile.
The homeless liason with the Kane County Regional Office of Education sees the increase as a job well done on her behalf.
Homeless students '08-09
East Aurora: 138
West Aurora: 153
St. Charles: 40
Kaneland: 6
Batavia: 17
Geneva: 2
From reaching out to families in shelters and informing them of their rights, to training district liaisons how to identify qualifying families, Dempsey has spent more than a decade ensuring a system is in place to catch children who might fall through the cracks.
The state requires that homeless children receive transportation to and from school free of charge, with their choice of what school they want to attend regardless of what district the family resides in.
It further requires schools to register homeless children even if they lack normally required documents, such as immunization records or proof of residence. The state legislation became federal law in 2002 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
"I can anecdotally say that homeless children are far, far better educated now than before this legislation passed and so many districts became aware of the issue," Hesed House Executive Director Ryan Dowd said.
"There's a sense of security in routine," he said. "The kids can say, I went to school when I was housed, I saw my friends, I played with sports. If they are homeless and not in the same neighborhood, they can still keep their same friends. It gives them a sense of normalcy in a time that feels anything but ... it's a grounding effect. Their housing situation has changed, but life has not been destroyed."
In East Aurora, district liaison Valerie Gudgeon has seen the number of students taking advantage of services nearly double in the past year. Students from Plano, Wheaton and Oswego are counted among the 140 students identified as homeless. In 2000, only 48 students qualified.
"The last year and this year, the rise was due to the poor economy," she said. "But another main reason is I'm educating more staff and parents about homeless educational rights and responsibilities."
Gudegeon has learned everything she knows from Dempsey and has helped countless families receive services when in distress.
"Two different times this year shelters filled up and we've had families living in cars," she said. "That's never happened before."
At Hesed House, however, Dowd said the number of children residents is on the decline.
"They are completely defying the national statistics," he said. "And quite honestly, I don't know why."
Fewer than 30 children call Hesed House home, as opposed to three or four years ago when the number was as high as 80, Dowd said.
That number might have to do with the increasing number of relatives providing housing for loved ones facing foreclosure or eviction.
"I'm encouraged to know how much families are stepping up and caring for loved ones who lose housing in the recession," he said.
What schools must do
Still, under the law, a family who is "doubling up," living with an aunt, uncle, brother, sister, parent, can qualify as homeless and receive services.
And while strides are being made to help educate families and district liaisons, Diane Nilan, president of HEAR US, an organization giving voice to homeless youth, said there is always more to be done.
"How are families being made aware of the (federal) McKinney-Vento act?" she questioned. "Typically in these economic times, no one is proud that they have to move in with a sister or brother. Are (people registering students) making sure there's a point in the conversation with a family where they address whether they are homeless?
"People don't always say, 'Hi, we're homeless and we want to go to school here.' It gets to be a real covert thing when you think there's no room to be open and honest."
By law, districts are required to place notices of the law in public areas like a gym or school office. Each district must have someone in charge of tracking numbers, working with families and training staff.
"When you think homeless, you think you live in an alley, or under a bridge, or in a car, and that's not true," Gudgeon said. "Homelessness means you lost your apartment or home due to a hardship: a fire, an eviction, you can't pay your rent ... families 'doubling up' or living with a relative are still eligible for services."
This keeps students in their current schools or gets them into new schools within 24 hours of their move. It helps families already in financial distress with money for school supplies, transportation and field trips.
More can be done
Dempsey opens up her 6.5-hour class to all liaisons and anyone who might benefit from the information. While there is no state mandate requiring those involved in the registration process to attend, it's highly recommended, she said.
Dowd said he also recognizes the importance of administrative education on the law, and cited "big disparities" between what different districts understand about the law and how many resources they have.
"Imagine being a poor mother calling, not knowing what to do, and no one has an answer," he said. "Imagine saying, 'Hey, I live in my brother's basement. What does that mean?' and no one knows."
Nilan questioned whether districts are sufficiently training staff to be alert to possible symptoms of homelessness.
"Are families being made aware of the act and their rights under the law?" she queried. "And who is determining whether the face value of the situation is really the case, or whether there is more to the story."
She wondered whether the nearly 400 students taken out of the West Aurora School District last year could have qualified to stay.
"I cannot believe that you would have 400 kids kicked out and that due diligence was done in really looking at homeless issues," she said.
The district, which also saw a dramatic increase in homeless students this year -- 151 compared with 81 in 2007-08 -- has said homelessness is determined on a case-by-case basis as guided by the law.
"The responses and circumstances of the family determine whether the family is determined homeless," district spokesman Mike Chapin said. He noted that while there are posters around district facilities, the majority of issues come to light during conversations at registration as families state their situations.
"There is training for staff and principals regarding the identification of homeless," he said. "If a parent does not openly state a situation, the staff may ask questions and listen for responses that would indicate that the family is homeless according to the law."
He said indicators are used to help the staff identify when to ask further questions.
Under the law, families identifying themselves as homeless are to receive services immediately and have questions resolved later. Only twice in Gudgeon's time as a district liaison did she have to investigate a false claim. Getting students into school and serviced as soon as possible is the law's ultimate goal, and East sticks by the policy, "admit now, ask later."
"Our job is to help students have their education disrupted as little as possible, wherever they land," she said.