Working Successfully with Relief Agencies

Share!

Relief agencies are
responding to di
an expert in working with families,
children, and youth experiencing

ss in your community.
information about
chool calendar, your
program, the McKinney-Vento Act,
and the families and youth you
serve is essential for relief agencies
to be able to provide the most
appropriate services.

Sharing Tip

ers; but you are C) i) H

= Make sure relief agencies are aware of

: displaced families who are sharing

= housing with others, living in motels, or

= staying in fields, campgrounds, or other

: public areas. Help agencies tailor their

+ procedures to address issues like

= stigmatization, sensitivity, local gang

¢ activity, or other dangerous situations

} and activities to help students transition;
smoothly and successfully intoanew

school :

Strategize!

ce) You need information from FEMA
about school-aged children to make
sure they are enrolled and receiving
ervices. But the Privacy Act prohibits
FEMA from di: ‘ing any information
= to any other agency without prior
written consent. National advocates
are working with FEMA so that
: consent to release information to
schools can be part of FEMA's standard
intake process with parents. It is
consent to share necessary |
= information with McKinney.Vento  : important for superintendents and
> staff : local liaisons to support similar policies
on the local level

9 Strategizing Tip

! Explain to relief agency staff how
basic information from them can help
? you serve displaced families,

= children, and youth, so they can feel =

! confident that information they

+ provide will not be misused. Help

+ them draft language to insert in their
+ standard release forms, or provide
them with a separate prepared

¢ release form to allow them to obtain

Coordinate!

As relief agenci laced families, it is critical
that they are aware of the effects of school mobility on students and
schools. Try to participate in disaster planning-and-response team
meetings, and educate agencies about the school of origin and
transportation provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act. Make sure
they know how their housing decisions affect the students and the
schools, and work with them to make housing placements

(contiwed on next page)

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment. and Success

9

10

Working Successfully With Relief Agencies

(continued from previous page)
responsive as possible to school placements and calendars. Work to
stay in the loop about pending shelter and trailer closings, motel
voucher limits, proposed long-term housing, and other predictable
mobility patterns.

@ Coordination Tip Q H

= Ifyou can't get yourself on your local disaster planning and response team, make friends with

someone who can: your superintendent, a school board member, a supporter of your program,

a city council member, county supervisor, or other elected official, a colleague, or a friend You :

+ may also consider setting up your own coordinating task force and engaging relief agencies in
that effort.

Cooperate!

Work with relief agencies to make school enrollment and attendance
as streamlined as possible. Cooperation with relief age may
also help enhance cultural sensitivity, as the agencies may have a
more extensive network of volunteers of different ethnic
backgrounds, faiths, and cultural orientations.

©) . Cooperation Tip Q

= Explain your enrollment process for children and youth experiencing homelessness to relief

agency staff. Consider the constraints and needs of relief agencies in designing disaster

: school enrollment strategies, taking into account the time parents must spend registering for
housing and other benefits; space constraints in shelters, trailers, or motels; and limitations in
staffing and training, If applicable, provide the agencies with a supply of enrollment forms

Plan for the Future!

It is essential that schools develop and implement plans for
preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a disaster. Many
displaced students and families will not return home, and the local
schools will be educating and serving those families for months or
years to come, Man y of them will experience homelessness again as
struggle to get back on their
feet. Relief agencies Tike FEMA and the Red Cross have recovery
committees that continue to work with displaced families in the
months and years after disasters. Get involved in recovery
committees and engage relief agencies in tackling short- and
long-term planning issues (9 mos., 1 year, 3 years, 5 years out)

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment and Suecess



Working Successfully with Relief Agencies

Like most people, relief agency staff members are
likely to know that proof of residency,
immunizations, school records, and a parent or

in school. They will also know that their clients
are not likely to have those documents. However,
many are unlikely to know that under the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act their clients do not need those documents
Depending on their familiarity with the public school system, they
may also be unaware of the variety of services that schools can
provide to displaced families such as medical and mental health
care, assistance with basic needs, and support for parents. The
result is that they may never approach a school, refer a parent or
youth to a school, or even consider school enrollment a possibility.

The challenge for schools is to address these misconceptions so that,
relief agencies understand that school is a critical resource for
children and families in the immediate wake of a disaster. Delaying
enrollment until the emergency p: or the family finds long-term
housing is both unnecessary and illegal, as a general rule.

ss Vento Act and your homele:
program i is critical if schools and relief agencies are to work together
to support families, children, and youth di:

)

Schools and relief agencies agree + Qn the state and local level, start building
that the biggest barrier to getting ¢ relationships and establishing quick, reliable
displaced students into school, | communication systems with relief agency
and keeping them there, is a lack } personnel prior to disasters occurring

of communication between the Starting a relationship during a disaster can
agencies ¢ schools = be extremely difficult. When strong ties exist
agencies and the schools

. 0 before a disaster hits, relief agencies are
Communicating early and often 9

0 + more likely o respond to requests for ;
will help ease everyone's burden. } information and to collaborate actively with =
Relief agencies are being H

¢ schools during emergencies
encouraged to do the same.

Teach!

Communicate!

Communication Tip

Coordination with relief agencies is impossible if they don’t know
who you are and what you do. Relief agencies are largely staffed by

(evatloved oa next pags)

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment. and Success

7

8

Working Successfully With Relief Agencies

and confront a high rate of turnover, so
ongoing awareness trainings about the MeKinney-Vento Act and the
services you offer are essential. Local liaisons and State
Coordinators must incorporate relief agency staff fully into
professional development activities.

Information for Parents

Aes

Teaching Tip Q

Provide all local relief agencies with a supply of posters,

: brochures, and other awareness materials. Invite staff to

: visit your program and participate in trainings on a regular

= basis. In high-impact areas, it may help to design a special

: training for relief agencies. Even if they don’t attend, the

: invitation itself reminds them that you're out there. For

1 example, in Oregon, the State Coordinator for Homeless

! Education organized a “Liaisons as First Responders”

training session after Hurricane Katrina. She found that

= district leaders came to recognize that having a resourceful

+ and well-trained local liaison in their district is an asset in the +
case of disaster. A state-level technical assistance resource
from Colorado is available at

www.cde. state.co.us/cdeprevention/hkatrina_resources.htm. +

NCHE Parest Poster. Avalable at
www serve orghnchelproduets php

Learn!

Get to know the relief agencies that are active in your area. Find out
about their priorities, funding, and structure, and identify ways

your services can help them meet their goals. Collaboration i:
always more successful when both parties see the tangible things
they can gain from working together. Helping relief agencies see
your McKinney-Vento program can complement and support
their mission may make working together e:

9 Learning Tip Q

Relief agencies are judged on how well they meet the immediate, physical needs of displaced
people: School enrollment and success likely are not within their mission, Therefore, agencies
need to know about the wide range of services schools offer such as nurses, counselors, and
other medical and mental health professionals; special education programs; clothing, hygiene
materials, and school supplies; automatic eligibility for free meals; services for preschoolers;
after-school and extra-curricular activities; connections to local social services and public

= benefits agencies; and parental support and involvement activities.

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment and Suecess



Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools:

Checklist for Working Together

Resources from the National Center for Homeless Education

& Communicate: Start building relationships with relief agence:
now

Teach: Provide McKinney-Vento training and awareness
materials to relief ageney staff

Learn: Discuss with local relief agency staff how your program
can complement and support theirs

Share: Make sure relief agencies know about doubled-up,
unaccompanied, and “hidden” homeless students.

Q Strategize: Work with relief agencies to develop release forms
so they can share information with you.

& Coordinate: Enlist a superintendent or school board member to
help you gain access to local disaster planning committees

& Cooperate: Discuss school enrollment procedures with relief

O Plan for the future: Engage relief age
planning.

in long-term

Relief Agency Contact Information

Local Liaison Contact Information

National Center for Homeless Education

Toll-free HelpLine: 800-308-2145
www.serve.org/nche
This checklist: was taken from the publication entitled Disaster Relief Agencies

Nohonatcenterter and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment and Success. This
meless Ecueation publication is available at www.serve.org/nche/produets.php

NCHE resources may be found on the NCHE website at
wuww.serve.org/nche.

Resources include:

«Posters

* Brochures

«Parent Pack Pocket Folders

«¢ Homeless Education Awareness Folders
¢ = Publications

«= Briefs

¢ Web-based Audio Trainings

¢ Homeless Education Listserv

e Disaster Preparation and Recovery Listserv
e Onsite trainings (by request)

National Partners in Homeless Education

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth (NAEHCY)

www.naehcy.org

National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
www.serve.org/nche

National Law Center on Homeless
wuww.nichp.org

ss & Poverty (NLCHP)

NCHE publications are supported through a contract with the U.S. Department of Education's
Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs.

National Center for Homeless Education
P.O. Box 5367
Greensboro, NC 27435
Toll-free HelpLine: 800-308-2145
feverter
fecaegeaes, wuw.serveorg/nche



e e e This document was produced under U.S. Department of
Disaster Relief Agencies Education contract ED-04-CO-0056 0001
and Schools: For more information on the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Program, contact the U.S. Department of Education,
‘ Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs
Working Together to Ensure (SASA), Office of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
School Enrollment and Success (ESEA),

Phone: 202-260-0826
Website: www.ed .gov/programs/homeless/index.htm|

A Handbook for Local Liaisons and State Coordinators

For additional information on providing assistance for schools
serving students displaced by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes,
visit Hurricane Help for Schools at
http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html

The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) is a
national resource center of research and information enabling
communities to address the needs of children and their families
and of unaccompanied youth in homeless situations

NCHE is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is
housed at SERVE at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro. Phone: 800-308-2145

Website: www.serve.org/nche.

For additional information and resources on providing assistance
for schools serving students displaced by the 2005 Gulf Coast
hurricanes or other disasters, visit www.serve.org/nche and click

Connecting Schools and
on Disaster Relief Efforts.

Displaced Students Series
ater Winter 2006

Notional
Honelese fsusation
or seve



Introduction

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, mudslides, fires, earthquakes,
terrorism, and school lock-downs: A wide variety of disasters can
profoundly impact schools and create an urgent need for
comprehensive support systems. Collaboration between school
personnel and relief agency staff is imperative to keep the
educational needs of displaced children included in needs
assessments and in planning for disaster relief.

The following questions and answers provide information
designed to help State Coordinators for Homeless Education and
Local Homeless Education Liaisons (hereafter called “local
liaisons’) in their efforts to collaborate with relief agencies on the
state and local levels.* The national partners in homeless
education are also working with FEMA, the Red Cross, and other
relief agencies at the national level to increase their awareness of
homeless education programs and to support greater
collaboration between relief agencies and schools.

Although many of the needs and challenges confronting children
and youth displaced by disasters are the same as those faced by
other students experiencing homelessness, the priorities and
structures of the relief agencies that serve them may be very
different. In the wake of disasters, relief agencies are focused on
providing the kinds of emergency assistance that families need to
cope with the immediate trauma. The benefits of the school
setting for children of displaced families are not always
recognized as a top priority for relief agency staff and others
whose tasks address food, clothing, shelter, and safety. Yet, the
services offered by schools and relief agen complement each
other, and if coordinated can provide families, children, and
youth with a seamless continuum of housing, nutrition,
employment, medical and mental health, educational, and other
services.

*Different school districts use different titles for their Local Homeless Education
Liaisons. They may also be called the MeKinney-Vento Project Coordinator or the
McKinney-Vento Liaison

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment. and Success

4

Rel

Agency Basics

When responding to disasters, schools may be called upon to
collaborate with a variety of relief agencies. But who are those
agencies, and what do they do?

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)

Through its Individuals and
Households Program, FEMA provid
housing ance to people whose
homes are damaged or destroyed in a
disaster. The program also provides
ance for medical, dental, funeral,
and transportation costs. People who
lose their jobs due to a disaster may
apply for Disaster Unemployment month for renters, with additional
Assistance (DUA), which provides assistance for up to 18 months
weekly benefits to individuals who are total

unemployed and not eligible for regular Funds for Home Repairs for
unemployment insurance homes that can be made livable
compensation. Through an agreement by repairs.

with FEMA, the American Bar
Association offers free legal counseling
to low-income individuals. FEMA's
Crisis Counseling Program also
provides supplemental funds to state and local mental health
agencies for short-term crisis counseling services

What kind of housing
assistance does FEMA offer?

Lodging Expense Reimbursement
to cover the cost of short-term
lodging, such as hotel rooms.

Rental Assistance based on fair
market rents, to cover three
months for homeowners and one

Home Replacement or Permanent
Housing Construction in certain
special circumstances.

Most, but not all, federal assistance is in the form of low-interest
loans to cover expenses not covered by state or local programs or
private insurance. People who do not qualify for loans may be able to
apply for a cash grant.

To apply for FEMA assistance, survivors must register at 1-800-621-
FEMA (3362).

Federal Resources on the Web
Resources for Teachers: www.fema.gov/kids/teacher. htm

Resources for Students: www. fema.gov/kids/

Mental Health Resources: www.mentalhealth.org
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/omhs/TraumaticE vents/tips. asp

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment and Suecess



Relief Agency Basics

THE RED CROSS

The American Red Cross provides relief services to communities
affected by disasters, including food, water, short-term shelter,
counseling support, and ance with family reunification. It also
offers services in five other areas: community services for needy
populations, support and comfort for military members and their
families, the management of blood and blood products, educational
programs that promote health and safety, and international relief
and development programs. The Red Cre
and is staffed by 35,000 employees and nearly one million
volunteers. It is a non-governmental agency that spends an average
of 91 cents of every dollar on humanitarian services and programs.

The Red Cross on the Web
To find your local chapter: www.redcross. org/where/where. htm!
Classroom resources (many available in a wide assortment of languages):

“Facing Fear: Helping Young People Deal With Terrorism and
Other Tragic Events”. www.redcross. org/disaster/masters/facingfear/

Helping Young Children Cope With Trauma:
www. redcross.org/services/disaster/foreignmat/1303en pdf

Community Disaster Education Materials: www. redeross. org/pubs/dspubs/ede. htm!

Recommended Emergency Supplies for Schools:
www. redcross. org/disaster/masters/supplies.htm!

THE SALVATION ARMY

The Salvation Army is a Christian church, founded in 1865 to
advance the Christian religion, promote education, relieve poverty,
and pursue other charitable works, Today, over a million employees
and volunteers work in 109 countries in programs that focus on
health, education, social services, and emergency disaster relief.
Disaster relief is provided through the Salvation Army's Emergency
Services Program, a section of the Programme Resources
Department of International Headquarters. For more information,
visit www.salvationarmy.org

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment. and Success

Relief Agency Basics

NATIONAL VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN
DISASTER (NVOAD)

NVOAD is a membership organization of approximately 40 dis
respol agencies that coordinates the planning efforts of those
agencies and serves as an information clearinghouse. For example,
during the Gulf Coast hurri NVOAD organized daily
conference calls between relief agencies and FEMA and other
federal government agencies. State and regional VOADs also exist.

NVOAD on the Web
www.nvoad.org

Emotional and Spiritual Care Guide for Disaster Survivors:
www.nvoad.org/articles/ESCCchapterB paf

Long Term Recovery Manual
www.nvoad.org/articles/L TRManualFinalApr232004a.paf

COORDINATED ASSISTANCE NETWORK (CAN)

CAN is a network of seven charities that participate in community-
led preparedness and response coalitions focusing on best practices
to serve those in need. CAN partnered with FEMA to develop a web-
based database to share information between agencies. For example,
during the Gulf Coast hurricanes clients who agreed to have their
information entered into the database could simply provide it once,
rather than having to register information separately with each
agency. For more information, visit www.can.org.

OTHER RELIEF AGENCIES

Mai community agencies provide essential services to survivors of
disasters. Th gent include pre-existing shelters and mot
the faith community; public medical and mental health clinics;
public ach as housing, employment, social
security, and publi

response teams; and soup kitchens and food pantries. Furthermore,
individual community members provide “hidden” services, through
informal housing arrangements (doubled-up families), employment
opportunities, and donations.

Disaster Relief Agencies and Schools: Working Together to Ensure School Enrollment and Suecess