McNair Research Journal - University of St. Thomas

Humanities & Social Sciences
It is aimed to help support and promote equal education for all students,
regardless of their living condition.
However, the Act does not provide a federal guarantee of access to
education for all homeless children, but rather requires states to guarantee
that homeless children and youth have the same access to a ‘free appropriate
public education’ as permanently housed children attending school in
the same district. The mandate on residency is to ensure access for all
homeless children and youth to some form of education, either in their
district of origin for the remainder of the school year or where the child is
temporarily living, which ever is in the best interest of the child. The
difficulties homeless children and youth have faced based upon this
requirement alone and the actions of the schools has caused many
students to either leave school altogether, or be left grade levels behind
their peers. According to Ramsey and Hennepin County directors,
working in collaboration with supportive services is the best way to
achieve this goal. The majority of supportive services in the two counties
put priority on enrollment in school or GED attainment.
Another barrier working against homeless students is that of the guardianship
requirement. In many cases of homelessness, children often end up
temporarily living with relatives who are not lawfully their guardians.
More often than not, children in this situation are denied admission to
schools because they have unofficial guardians.
Attaining records from schools in a timely fashion for transfer is a
dilemma. Many schools require records from pervious schools for
enrollment. More often than not, those records come with a fee that most
homeless families and/or youth cannot afford. Furthermore, without
records there have been reports of over-vaccinations. This information can
be found in a student’s record, but without the availability of these
records, many students are over-vaccinated and end up ill. This only adds
to the list of worries with which homeless families and youth have to deal.
Homelessness for families with children and unaccompanied youth are
those rare cases that require the same, if not more, offered services and
programs than children and families who are not homeless. Homeless
students are being excluded and denied comparable services as students
with permanent home statuses. They are denied after-school programs,
group work within classroom settings, and are excluded from field trips,
leaving them feeling more disconnected from their peers. There is a need
for schools and service providers to collaborate. There are ways to break
through the barrier of non-comparable services: with community centers,
service programs, and agencies working to accommodate, not isolate,
homeless students from mainstream education. Offering forms of
education outside the school, but in collaboration with the schools seems
to be the most logical and effective solution. In the past, there have been
shelter-based after-school programs that concentrate on acceleration rather
than remedial approaches to helping homeless children.
The most pressing and often-cited barrier is that of the transportation.
This problem derives both from the family (and their inability to learn
about or afford transportation) and from school districts (unwillingness or
inability to make special efforts to accommodate the needs of homeless
children attending their schools). Transportation is the main reason so
many homeless children and youth are not succeeding in the academic
world; they simply have no way to get there. Directors of the two counties
have issued transportation vouchers and have gone as far as to drive youth
themselves. “This is a call far beyond duty, but rather of empowerment
and engagement. Youth need to be inspired, to see role models, to have
mentors. Can you think of a better example than us (staff )?”
(Ramsey/Hennepin County director.)
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, signed in June of 2006 is meant
to serve the population of homeless youth who have been forced to leave
their homes, or have chosen to leave due to their own specific circumstances.
As defined by the Act, “homeless youth are persons twenty-one
years of age or younger who are unaccompanied by by a parent or
guardian and without shelter where appropriate care andsupervision are
available. These are youth whose parent or guardian is unable or unwilling
Maria Ortiz
Homeless Youth Services
to provide shelter and care, or who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence.” The act is designed to hold the “commissioner” responsible
for developing a report for homeless youth, which must include
coordination of services as defined within the Act (subdivision 3-5).
The subdivisions are services that consist of street and community outreach,
and drop-in programs; (3) emergency shelters programs; (4) and
supportive housing and transitional living programs (5). After conversations
with Beth Holger, a member of the Minnesota Department of
Human Services, Homeless Youth Programs, the conclusion was made
that the leading cause for homeless youth is the systemic issue of poverty,
which causes conflicts within families. Poverty is associated with the lack
of affordable housing, livable wages, healthcare services, and educational
services (DHS & NCH 2009).
According to the Department of Human Development and Family
Science at Ohio State University, proper drop-in centers make possible the
setting for homeless youth to go into treatment and back into mainstream
society. When serving such a population, there is a need to provide the
essentials at a “one stop shop” drop-in center - a location in which all
necessities may be found as well as services provided. In Washington,
D.C., a “one stop shop,” N-Street Village, has had a profound affect on
those who use the facility. Transportation is no longer an issue when
everything is in one location, and many have benefited from this this
type of facility.
Minnesota Statute 123A.06 says that the programs and services of a
center must focus on academics and learning skills, specific to applied
learning opportunities, trade and vocational skills, work-based learning
opportunities, work experience, youth service to the community transition
service, and English language and literacy programs. Main objectives
for these centers are to serve the people for whom these services were intended,
obvious enough. But knowing the needs of each individual who
passes through the doors can be difficult; this is why there are intakes as
well as case managers assigned to those who choose to use such services.
Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS-HUD) have worked
to create a web-based database for supportive service providers. It is
important to track those that are using the services for funding, and
licensing requirements. “Intakes and assessments are important to hold all
parties accountable” (Ramsey/Hennepin County director).
Methods
Research with a vulnerable population such as youth, and more
specifically homeless youth, requires the approval of the Institutional
Review Board. It is the duty of the board to ensure that all methods of an
individual’s research is ethical. My process began in August, 2008, and I
was approved in January of 2009.
In March, 2009, I conducted face-to-face interviews with Directors of
Homeless Youth Service Providers in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties.
Directors where called and offered an opportunity to participate in the
study “Bridging the Gaps: Homeless Youth Services.” Before interviews
could take place, directors were required to read and sign a letter of
consent, acknowledging and showing an understanding of their role and
mine the study.
Homeless Youth were involved in a focus-group survey at the various
service providers’ locations. Youth were recruited through cooperative efforts
with the service providers. Flyers were posted with all information
and an incentive for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to Cub Foods.
This study defines homeless youth with the same criteria used by the
United States Congress in allocating resources through the McKinney-
Vento Act (P.L. 100-77, sec 103 (2) (1), 101 stat. 485 [1987]):
Youth who currently have no parental, substitute, foster or institutional home
to which they can safely go. They are unaccompanied by an adult and have
spent at least one night either in a formal emergency shelter, improvised
shelter, doubled-up, or on the streets.
44 University of St. Thomas McNair Research Journal