SchoolHouse Connection

👋 Hello all and a big welcome to all our new connections! We are so thrilled you all are here. In addition to connecting here, be sure to join our collaborative SHC community on Slack 👉 bit.ly/SHC-slack 💡For resources and to get to know more about us and our work, head over to SchoolHouseConnection.org.

It does my heart good to know that some advocates and organizations like SchoolHouse Connection remain brave enough to speak out. We need a radical rethinking of how we have addressed homelessness for the last 25 years. ‘Housing First,’ ‘Ten Year Plans’ and ‘ending “chronic” homelessness,’- while defunding other critical resources- have not worked and, quite honesty, it is deeply distressing to see migrants the latest group to be thrown under the bus for these successive policy failures. Let’s help everyone who needs a home and do so in a way that honors their dignity and needs, not flavor of the day models that only result in brutal trade offs. And, please, let’s stop vilifying populations; individuals, families or migrants. No group is responsible for another’s homelessness. That is a policy choice. https://lnkd.in/gBk7__Hb https://lnkd.in/gTqrTGhW

Amidst deeply partisan divides, we made progress in 2024 to strengthen federal policies and resources for children, youth, and families experiencing #homelessness. See all that happened as a result of our 2024 federal policy advocacy 👉 https://bit.ly/3DmkNdz 🏛️ Top Impact Highlights: • School districts will be able to use federal funding more flexibly and effectively to support preK-12 students experiencing homelessness • Youth experiencing homelessness will face fewer barriers accessing financial aid so they can pursue education beyond high school • Children experiencing homelessness will continue to be prioritized for enrollment in Head Start • Families experiencing homelessness may have better access to child care • Youth experiencing homelessness on their own will have streamlined enrollment in Job Corps • Two higher education bills were re-introduced to increase postsecondary access, retention, and completion for homeless and foster youth • Congressional staff and officials from the U.S. Department of Education heard directly from youth experiencing homelessness about educational barriers as well as helpful programs and policies

Our team is growing! Leave a comment to share a warm welcome to Senior Program Manager for State Policy Elliot Williams, and FAFSA Completion Senior Manager Caleb McKay. Both are dedicated to equitable educational access, rights, and supports for children and youth experiencing #homelessness. We are proud to have them join SchoolHouse Connection. ⬇️ Get to know them ⬇️ Elliot: https://bit.ly/3BzNpPY Caleb: https://bit.ly/4gumW5m

Regardless of the challenges that lie ahead, we moved mountains together in 2024. Take a look at our top 11 (unranked) accomplishments of the year! 👉 https://bit.ly/4gkTKOp We kept children, youth, and young adults safe from harm, and helped them access the early care and education that is ultimately their surest pathway out of homelessness and into security. We are proud to reflect on 2024's accomplishments. If you are part of SHC’s network, these are your accomplishments, too! We invite you to take stock along with us and discover useful information and resources that you may have missed previously. We are profoundly grateful for your partnership, and wish you peaceful and joyous holidays. Onward! - The SchoolHouse Connection Team

We participated in the NAEHCY, National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth annual conference, where 2,500 practitioners, partners, and advocates gathered in Orlando and online. ICYMI, tap the links below for slides from all eight SchoolHouse Connection sessions and our exhibit table handouts! 👉 Session presentations: https://bit.ly/4fBrpms 👉 Exhibit handouts: https://bit.ly/4geiPuc

Join over 300 advocates nationwide to improve the lives of children and youth experiencing #homelessness. ✍️ Sign up https://lnkd.in/d4SY4XWy.

We had a great session yesterday at the 2024 VirginiaCAN Conference in Williamsburg, VA. SchoolHouse Connection Director of Higher Education Jillian Sitjar partnered with Patricia Popp, Virginia EHCY State Coordinator (Project HOPE-Virginia) to present on "Helping Homeless Youth Fill Out The 25-26 FAFSA: Identification, Guidance, and Advocacy." Thank you to Virginia College Access Network (VirginiaCAN) and all attendees!

The National Association of School Resource Officers featured a piece by SchoolHouse Connection Senior Program Manager of Education Initiatives Karen Rice in their most recent Journal of School Safety. Karen shares foundational information about McKinney-Vento and strategies on ways liaisons can partner with School Resource Officers (SROs). 🔗 👉 https://bit.ly/3DhUW6k #mckinneyvento #homelesseducation #homelessness #SRO

"By adding additional barriers, additional documentation, that might be one thing that makes a student decide, 'I'm not going to go to college anymore,'" shares SchoolHouse Connection Director of Higher Education Jillian Sitjar in a recent FAFSA webinar. Tap the link to replay the full webinar and join Jillian as she walks through key #FAFSA policies and practices for supporting students who have experienced #homelessness. 👉 https://bit.ly/3VtHQcw #dothefafsa #fafsaweekofaction