1. Homeless Young people and Higher Education
Bonnie J. Smith, Ph.D., LMSW
Professor and Academic Program Director,
Human Services Program
Thank you for allowing me to be with you today. I am honored to share this space and this time with you who have chosen to devote your energies to working with the “other America,” those who are struggling to feel safe and to have stability.

2. Be

3. Problems in living are linked.

4. Assumption*:
Education

5. Assumption*:
Opportunities
Job
Education

6. Assumption*:
Job Satisfaction
Opportunities
Job
Education

7. Assumption*:
Money
Job Satisfaction
Opportunities
Job
Education

8. Peace and love and joy and good credit
Assumption*:
Peace and love and joy and good credit
Money
Job Satisfaction
Opportunities
Job
Education

9. Peace and love and joy and good credit
Assumption*:
Peace and love and joy and good credit
Money
Job Satisfaction
Opportunities
Job
Education
*idealistic and not supported by actual research

10. Youth Not Attending School and Not Working by Age Group

11. Educational attainment of working age population 25 to 64

12. Children in Poverty

13. SC Technical College System Mission
To provide “learning opportunities that promote the economic and human resource development of the state.”

17. Start.

18. College Application and Admission
application form

19. College Application and Admission
application form
address, phone number, and address

20. College Application and Admission
application form
address, phone number, and address
state-issued id

21. College Application and Admission
application form
address, phone number, and address
state-issued id
high school transcript or adequate GED results

22. College Application and Admission
application form
address, phone number, and address
state-issued id
high school transcript or adequate GED results
application fee

23. College Application and Admission
application form
address, phone number, and address
state-issued id
high school transcript or adequate GED results
application fee
soft skills

24. College Application and Admission
application form
address, phone number, and address
state-issued id
high school transcript or adequate GED results
application fee
soft skills
ability to pay for college
FAFSA
other sources of $

25. Cost of college
“For the 2014–15 academic year, average annual current dollar prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board were estimated to be $16,188 at public institutions, $41,970 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,372 at private for-profit institutions.”
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Digest of Education Statistics, 2015 (NCES ), Chapter 3.

26. Cost of college again $16,188 at public institutions
$41,970 at private nonprofit institutions
$23,372 at private for-profit institutions
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Digest of Education Statistics, 2015 (NCES ), Chapter 3.

27. South Carolina Colleges and Universities 2016-2017 Tuition and Required Fees

28. South Carolina Income
South Carolina - Median household income (in 2015 dollars),

29. Tuition Assistance/Financial Aid
What if I'm unable to provide parent information due to special circumstances?
In situations such as the ones below, you may be able to submit your FAFSA without parent information despite being considered a dependent student:
Your parents are incarcerated.
You have left home due to an abusive family environment.
You do not know where your parents are and are unable to contact them (and you have not been adopted).
You are older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied, and are either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
The online FAFSA will ask you whether you are able to provide information about your parents. If you are not, you will have the option to indicate that you have special circumstances that make you unable to get your parents’ information. The site then allows you to submit your application without entering data about your parents.
However, it is important for you to understand the following:
Although your FAFSA will be submitted, it will not be fully processed. You will not receive an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and must immediately contact the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend.
The financial aid staff may ask for additional information to determine whether you can be considered independent and have an EFC calculated without parent data. Gather as much written evidence of your situation as you can. Written evidence may include court or law enforcement documents; letters from a clergy member, school counselor or social worker; and/or any other relevant data that explains your special circumstance.
The financial aid office’s decision about your dependency status is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.

31. So many barriers just to start!

32. Start. Stay.

33. Young Adults Ages 18 To 24 Who Are Enrolled In Or Have Completed College

34. Factors necessary for college success:
Show up
Be prepared
Do your best work

35. Show up Private vehicle Public transportation “Catch a ride” Gas Tires
Insurance
Public transportation
?!???!?!?!?!?!?!
“Catch a ride”

36. Be prepared Get the textbook or materials
Read the textbook or materials
Take notes
Do homework on paper or online
Computer & internet
Computer literacy

37. Do your best work Showing up Being prepared Participating Taking notes
Asking questions
Engaging with professor and classmates
Asking for help if necessary
Going to tutoring, writing center
Forming study groups

38. Start. Stay. Succeed.

39. What inhibits success? Exhaustion Stress Illness or injury Hunger Fear
Hopelessness
Isolation
Active addiction
Symptoms of mental illness
Running out of money

40. What do colleges offer? Housing Meal plans
Transportation between campuses or between campus and shopping
Employment assistance
Health clinic
Mental health services
Tutoring/academic assistance
Mentors
Financial literacy

41. What else do colleges offer?
Programs for non-traditional students and students returning to the workforce
Computer labs
Social, recreational, and service clubs and organizations
Amazing libraries
Career centers
Services for veterans
Services for students with documented disabilities
On-campus events and activities
Alumni networks
Child care assistance

42. How can we best help students to connect with resources?

43. Problems in living are linked.

44. Problems in living are linked.

45. Together we can find solutions
Together we can find solutions. We may not fix the system(s), but we can help people navigate the system(s).

46. Bonnie J. Smith, Ph.D., LMSW Bonnie.Smith@gvltec.edu
Thank you for allowing me to be with you today. I am honored to share this space and this time with you who have chosen to devote your energies to working with the “other America,” those who are struggling to feel safe and to have stability.