1. Understanding & Ameliorating the Impact of Child Homelessness on Educational Advancement 1 Thaler McCormick, CEO, ForKids Joi Chisolm Thaxton, Director of Education, ForKids Dr. Elsie Harold Lans, Senior Director of the Department of Student Support Services, Norfolk Public Schools

2. ForKids: Our Mission Breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty for families and children 2

3. Service Area 3

4.  Regional Call Center  Housing Solutions  Emergency Shelter  Supportive Housing  Prevention, Rapid Re-Housing  Adult & Children’s Education  Educational assessment, tutoring & school advocacy  GED & Life Skills  Critical Services  Intensive Case Management  Mental & physical healthcare Our Model Housing, Education & Critical Services 4

5. ForKids Impact In Fiscal Year 2014: We assisted over 1,155 people 347 families w/ 709 children 89% exited to appropriate housing 90% of school aged children in the program at least 90 days were promoted to the next grade. From Nov. 2013- Oct. 2014 We answered 18,680 calls from 8,131 callers 10% were from Virginia Beach residents 5

6. 25 th Anniversary Commission Addressing the Link Between Affordable Housing & the Educational Advancement of Homeless Children in Hampton Roads 6

7. 7 “Homelessness begins as housing crisis and becomes and education crisis.” ---The ForKids 25 th Anniversary Commission Report

8. 1. Data Collection: establish a unified method to identify homeless and highly-mobile children; link school system date to HMIS data 2. Affordable Housing: develop recommendations to expand the supply of safe, affordable housing 3. Educational Advancement: identify best practices that achieve high school graduation for homeless and highly-mobile children 8 Commission’s Focus Areas

9. What are the challenges?  Constant migration (city-wide and regionally)  Stigma/fear of identification  “Normalization”  Transportation  McKinney-Vento (MV) Law Education of Homeless Children 9

10. What do we know? “Achievement gaps related to homelessness residential instability emerge early and persist” 10 Education of Homeless Children

11. Homeless Children in South Hampton Roads: Estimating the Costs to Society James V. Koch Old Dominion University 11

12. CityCosts Chesapeake$252,113 Norfolk$280,000 Portsmouth$247,035 Suffolk$135,000 Virginia Beach*$458,138 Total$1,372,286 12 Transportation Costs Associated w/ McKinney-Vento Students 2012-2013 * Virginia Beach includes funds expended for coordination and $50,000 in in-kind gifts and donations from the public

13. 13 Academic Performance of Norfolk Students based on Economic Status 2012-2013 HomelessLow Socioeconomic High Socioeconomic Ave. Attendance87.9%92.8%95.1% Ave. GPA1.982.272.86 Ave. SOL Exams Passed 41.7%54.8%73.7% Ave. Suspensions/Yr 1.18.79.13

14. In Virginia Beach 15 days less school 24% higher failure rate Attendance (Avg days) Homeless Students Lower Income, Housed 136.3151.1 14 SOL Performance Homeless Students Lower Income, Housed Failed all 22.1%Failed all 17.8%

15. 15 Achievement Gap *Combined graduation rates for Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, &Virginia Beach. **Students identified as homeless/economically disadvantaged at least once in 9th - 12th grade. Source: Virginia Dept. of Education, Virginia Cohort Reports, Class of 2013

16. Data from Project HOPE: In 2012-2013: How did homeless kids do in Virginia? Reading: 32-39% lower (high school 11%) Math: 31-49% lower 16 Achievement Gap: SOLs

17.  Each homeless child costs our community approximately $20,000 per year*  Total cost of child homelessness for SHR annually: $30 million  “It would be less expensive for society to provide permanent housing for homeless families than to bear the high cost of homelessness and its long- term effects.” 17 Dr. Koch’s Conclusions: *considering healthcare, social services, education, administration and transportation, penal system and lost income due to graduate rates.

18. Themes  Dearth of Programs Targeted to Homeless Students with Results  Collaboration Between School Districts and Nonprofit Service Providers Essential  Best Lessons Available Come from Research and Work with Poor and At-Risk Students  Reading proficiency by 3 rd grade  Prevention of summer learning loss  Out-of-School Time (OST) programs  Holistic approaches 18 Education Research

19. 19 The ForKids Education Pilot Project

20.  Hybrid of Charlotte Model and FK “Hot Meals & Homework”  Hot Meals and Homework plus Remediation  2 elementary schools in Norfolk Public Schools  Outreach Family Case Manager, Licensed Educator & Part-time Education Assistant in each school 20 ForKids Educational Pilot

21. Goals:  Connect families with community services  Address immediate needs of children (uniforms, school supplies, etc.)  Assess MV student educational needs  Provide remedial assistance  Close achievement gap for MV students  Track and monitor progress of MV students 21

22. Structure Outreach Family Case Manager (FT) Connects parents to community services; shelter/housing; arranges transportation Licensed Educator (FT) Tracks grades, attendance, assessments, discipline, and behavior Develops Academic Plans and creates lessons Collaborates w/teachers & advocate for students Part-time Education Assistant Assist only in afterschool tutoring Dinner/Supper Program 22 ForKids Educational Pilot

23. Things We had to Figure Out… Fast Barriers/How We Work Through Them  Faculty Buy-In  Security, Background checks  Space  Technology  Food  Assessments  Transportation  Consistent Identification 23

24. Continued Challenges  Data Releases  Grades  Attendance  Behavior  Discipline  Assessments  Transportation  Continued student migration 24

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26. Norfolk Public Schools Total Student Population 32,000+ Economically disadvantaged71% 33 Elementary Schools 8 Middle Schools 5 High Schools 26

27. Norfolk Public Schools – Scope of MV Problem 2012-20132013-20142014-2015 Unsheltered/Other69511 Sheltered755242 Shared/Double Up341342160 Hotel/Motel11712982 Unaccompanied Youth*10178 Total602 (Sept – June) 574 (Sept – June) 285 (Sept – Dec) *also counted in doubled up

28. Norfolk Public Schools – Associated Costs  Transportation - $25,000 for cabs (split w. cities) - $4,000 in bus tokens  Backpacks/Supplies- $50,000  University Tutors Inc.-$25,500  Summer Reading Books- $17,000  Green STEM Camp- $5,000 28

29. Norfolk Public Schools – Community & Internal Support  Partners  Shelters, City, Schools, Faith Based, Stores, Project Hope etc.  Supply Drives  Coats, Holiday Gifts, Food etc.  Training for Staff  Annual McKinney Vento Training for Enrollment Staff  Supplemental Training from Project Hope 29

30. Public Private Partnership 30 Keys to Success  Senior-level support (superintendent)  Seed Funding!  Faculty buy-in  All the players around the table  (technology, data, HR, principals, servicers, etc.)

31. Timeline Pilot Initial Funding (40%): 6/10/14 Balance of Funding: 6/12/14 1 st Mtg w/ Norfolk Public Schools: 6/26/14 1 st School Identified: 7/7/14 Mtg with Principal: 7/10/14 2nd School Identified: 8/12/14 Staff start at School #18/25/14 Staff start at school #29/2/14 31

32. Lessons Learned What Matters:  Being in the schools  Identifying homeless kids consistently  Remediation by skilled educators based on assessments  HOUSING 32

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