How an AIU Program Helps Students Experiencing Homelessness Through Challenging Times

How an AIU Program Helps Students Experiencing Homelessness Through Challenging Times

By Dan Rinkus

It is the key that unlocks the door to resources and stability for families experiencing homelessness: student identification. To help reduce negative impacts on those families, it is critical to identify as many children experiencing homelessness as possible. That’s where the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program comes in.

“Our ultimate goal is to make sure that when students are experiencing homelessness, they stay connected to school during that period of time,” said Nicole Anderson, Region 4 Coordinator for ECYEH.

ECYEH works with school districts and agencies assisting people experiencing homelessness across a sweeping nine-county region, including Allegheny County. This includes families who are living in their cars, homeless shelters, abandoned buildings or even families who are doubling up with other people due to various hardships.

One of the keys to better outcomes for students is education, making them and their families aware of their rights through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This federal legislation defines the rights and services available to children and youth who are experiencing homelessness.

“A lot of families don’t know that their child has the right to remain in their school of origin,” Anderson said. “When a family is transient, there is a greater risk of disconnection from school, and children who are permanently housed tend to perform better academically.”

The COVID-19 pandemic was a dagger to the heart of families who depend on assistance from ECYEH and its partners. “Student identification went way down during COVID. I mean, way down,” Anderson said. “Since then, our numbers have rebounded. Part of that is just due to the fact that life is very unaffordable right now,” referencing a triple threat of inflation, slow wage growth and pandemic relief ending.

Through the education of homelessness liaisons in school districts and their fellow educators, Anderson and her ECYEH team hope to identify more students in need.

Anderson said it feels good to know that what they are doing is working. “This year (2023) in our first quarter we saw an increase of a little over 400 children identified, and that wasn’t counting some of our larger school districts.”

The work can be difficult, but for Anderson and her colleagues, success is its own reward. “When we find out a family has been able to move into housing, or one of our students who we’re working with is suddenly connecting and they’re doing well in school, it’s an amazing feeling,” Anderson said.

Signs of Students Experiencing Homelessness

Lack of Educational Continuity

• Attendance at different schools, missing records, inability to pay fees

Poor Health/Nutrition

• Missing medical records, chronic hunger, fatigue

Transportation & Attendance Problems

• Erratic attendance/tardiness, lack of participation in extracurricular activities

Poor Hygiene

• Inconsistent grooming, wearing same clothes day after day

Lack of Personal Space After School

• Incomplete/missing homework, lacking basic school supplies, elevated concern for safety of belongings

Social and Behavioral Concerns

• Short attention span, poor selfesteem, considered “old” beyond years, anxiety late in the school day

Reactions by Parents or Guardians

• Anger, embarrassment or avoidance when asked about current address, statements about staying with other family members, friends or in hotels and campgrounds

Source: National Center for Homeless Education