B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Students Experiencing Homelessness in City Schools 1 Shayna Robinson Homeless Education Associate Office of Enrollment, Choice and Transfers

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Definition of Homelessness Children who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, like those:  Doubled up due to loss of housing  Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds  Living in emergency or transitional shelters  Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings  Temporarily in state-supervised care, awaiting foster care placement 2

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Stereotypes of Homelessness 3

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Faces of Homelessness 4

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Faces of Homelessness 5

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Students Identified as Homeless in City Schools These numbers only reflect students identified in City Schools, not an actual count of homeless youth in Baltimore City which reached about 6,000 in 2013* 6 School Year # Identified Homeless Students SY08091,430 SY09101,638 SY10112,398 SY11122,292 SY12132,837

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Students Identified as Homeless in City Schools 7

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS How Schools Can Support Students Experiencing Homelessness By simply enrolling students, schools can provide:  Structure, routine, normalcy to counteract the upheaval of homelessness  Free school meals  Caring adults  Opportunities for positive socialization  Referrals for community-based services: health, mental health, housing (Family Preservation) 8

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Policy JFE and Regulation JFE-RA Policy developed to serve people, not to punish or exclude them by:  Eliminating all barriers to children and youth who are homeless and eligible to attend City Schools  Maintaining a stable education environment and minimizing effects of homelessness on academic achievement and social- emotional development 9

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Rights of Homeless Students Reasonable efforts will be made to indentify all school-aged children and youth who are homeless Students who are homeless:  Are enrolled as soon as they are identified;  Retain homeless protections for entire school year;  May enroll in the “school of origin” or the closest school choice option;  Are provided services comparable to other non-homeless students;  Are eligible for transportation; and  Are eligible for food and nutrition services. A dispute resolution process will be used to resolve all disputes and provide a clear appeals process for all parents, guardians, or unaccompanied youth 10

B ALTIMORE C ITY P UBLIC S CHOOLS Contact Information Shayna Robinson Office of Enrollment, Choice and Transfers 200 E. North Avenue, Room 106 Baltimore, Maryland