Identifying and Serving the Homeless Population

The changing Face of Homelessness•Families with children - The fastest-growing segment of the homeless population – make up 40% of the homeless population in the U.S.•Over 12% of the U.S. population lives in poverty – one in every six children.•A minimum-wage worker would have to work more than 67 hours a week just to keep a family of four above the poverty line of $18,104 per year for the average family of four.•Families can find themselves in homeless situations due to a job cut-back or layoff. People who are working lose their homes for other reasons:• A natural disaster (Katrina, IKE, etc.)• A major house fire• An unplanned major expense• Wages that don’t keep up with housing costs and taxes• Loss of health coverage and other benefits• Financial burdens associated with long-term care• Falling behind on monthly payments• High balances on credit cards, often resulting from health care costs or

other emergency

Ways of identifying students in transition/homeless

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application is sent home with every student in Spring Branch ISD in the first day packet

All Free and Reduced-Price Meals HouseholdGo to Child Nutrition

Services

Child Nutrition Services Reviews

x

All enrollees receive a Free and Reduced Price Meal form in the Enrollment Packet

Any box marked?

YES

External Funding & Compliancewill interview the family

Homeless, Migrant or Runaway

The Student Residency form is given to all new enrollees in the enrollment packet

Ways of identifying students in transition/homeless

The Student Residency Questionnaires are returned to the campus by the family once they have completed the information

All questions marked

“NO”

Campus will destroy

Any question marked

“YES”Campus sends the form to

External Funding & Compliance the department staff determines eligibility

Ways of identifying students in transition/homeless

We have Partnerships with several organizations that support the homeless families of students enrolled in SBISD.

Another way to identify Students

The Student Residency Questionnaires could be returned to External Funding and Compliance by email.

The Student Residency Questionnaires could be returned to External Funding and Compliance by fax.

The Student Residency Questionnaires could be returned to External Funding and Compliance by interoffice mail from the campuses.

Spring Branch ISD

Student Residency Questionnaire

Does family qualify as homeless?

Sends the names of Eligible Students to

Child Nutrition Services and to the

campus

External Funding & Compliance

ELIGIBLE STUDENTS ARE ENTERED INTOTHE SKYWARD STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

Lunch is provided for all eligible homeless

students at no cost to the student

What Do You See?

Identifying and Serving Migrant Students

WHO DO YOU CALL

Lawanda Coffee, District Homeless Liaison and Director of External Funding (Migrant and Homeless Liaison) - 2267Yajahira Alamilla, Support Specialist - Ext. 2495

Perseverance is the Key

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