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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1066-E1067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

           McKINNEY EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH

                                 ______

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 17, 1995
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, this worthwhile program, modest yet 
dramatically effective, has drawn quite a bit of fire in recent days. I 
would like to take this opportunity to clear up some misconceptions 
about the program, voiced by my colleague from Arizona, [Mr. Kolbe].
  My colleague objects strongly to this program for the Education of 
Homeless Children and Youth, because of concerns that the program is 
overly bureaucratic. This is simply not the case at all. The McKinney 
program directly funds just one Homeless Education coordinator in each 
State; and over half of those coordinators only work part-time on the 
program. More than 80 percent of all funding goes straight to the local 
school districts. At last count, about 500 local school districts were 
running homeless education programs with McKinney funding.
  My colleagues also quotes from a Department of Education document 
which states that the McKinney program ``provides formula grants to 
States to operate an Office of Coordinator of Education for Homeless 
Children and Youth.'' The implication is that the program exists only 
to support bureaucrats. However, my colleague failed to read further in 
the program description, in which it is stated that the program also 
has responsibility ``to develop and carry out a State plan for the 
education of homeless children. States also make subgrants to local 
educational agencies for tutoring, transportation and other services 
intended to enable homeless children to enroll in, attend and succeed 
in school.'' (Department of Education Fiscal Year 1996 Budget Summary 
and Background Information)
  And that is what this program does so well--it gets funding to local 
school districts, who have designed special projects tailored to their 
local needs. Local school districts submit applications as part of a 
competitive process; only the best proposals win. The States make the 
final decisions; the localities design their own programs; and the 
Federal Government lets them do what they do best. No other Federal 
program targets these vulnerable homeless children in this way. We must 
oppose any attempt to eliminate the Education for Homeless Children and 
Youth program; because without this program, literally hundreds of 
thousands of homeless children will never get to school.
  I am submitting a Project Description from the Amphitheater Public 
Schools Education for Homeless Youth Program in Tucson and Pima County 
Arizona. Amphitheater's program, called ``Youth on Their Own,'' works 
with high school homeless youth, and is one of two McKinney-funded 
homeless education programs in my colleague's district. The other 
program, run by the Tucson Unified School District, reaches out to 
elementary school-age homeless children. The Amphitheater Project 
Description explains better than I can how the program works, how they 
are using their McKinney funding, and why this McKinney funding is so 
valuable to local school districts all across the country.
          Project Description--Arizona Department of Education

               education for homeless children and youth

       1. District: Amphitheater Public Schools.
       2. Contact person: Ann Young; Telephone (602) 297-4555.
       3. Number of homeless children in school district (from 
     attached survey): 317+; Number to be served by this project: 
     317+.
       4. Project period (Maximum 15 months: From August 1993 to 
     September 1994.
       5. Describe services to be provided:
       Educational assistance targeted for the homeless will be 
     supplemental to the school program and will include a course 
     in independent living set up to assist the students in 
     learning the skills needed to survive on their own. A full 
     time teacher will be hired to teach the course to an 
     integrated student body so the homeless youths will not be 
     isolated and stigmatized. He/she will also be responsible for 
     assisting the students with course, college and career 
     choices, helping in the identification and screening of 
     homeless youth, coordinating with parents, teachers, school 
     personnel, and private and public agencies, acting as a 
     liaison to help the homeless enroll and succeed in school, 
     and making home visits.
       Tutorial services will be provided to assist students in 
     reaching their academic goals.
       Outreach effort to identify and assist homeless students in 
     entering and becoming integrated into our schools, in 
     obtaining residency status and the documentation necessary 
     for government and social services. Assistance will be given 
     in finding lodging with volunteer parents or on their own, 
     medical and dental services, obtaining free breakfast and 
     lunch, food stamps, AHCCS, SOBRA, DES, AFDC, clothing and 
     household goods, emergency food from the food bank, part-time 
     employment, a monthly stipend dependent upon good attendance, 
     counseling, and mentoring.
       6. Describe how the project is coordinated with the regular 
     district educational program and integrates homeless children 
     with non-homeless children:
       Our program will advocate for children and youth to ensure 
     their acceptance as students in the Amphitheater School 
     District. A hotline for students who have difficulty meeting 
     the criteria of the school district because of homelessness 
     will be available at each school to assist the school 
     personnel in determining homelessness status. Ongoing 
     education of school personnel will be addressed.
       The course in independent living which will address 
     housing, nutrition, health, economic, and other basic needs 
     will be available to all students so the homeless student 
     will not be stigmatized. The Youth on Their Own support 
     program also includes children who are not considered 
     homeless under the McKinney guidelines--those living with 
     friends and relatives on a comparatively stable basis. Every 
     effort is made to mainstream the homeless youth so they are 
     not isolated as a group from the school body.
       7. Describe current districtwide efforts to remove barriers 
     to the education of homeless children, pursuant to the 
     McKinney Act (i.e. [[Page E1067]] documentation and residency 
     policies, expedited assessments, outreach, etc.). Do not 
     include activities funded by a McKinney Homeless Assistance 
     grant.
       Amphitheater School District is making efforts to remove 
     barriers to the education of homeless children, but the 
     documentation and residency policies must still be evaluated 
     on a case by case basis. It is not known how many children 
     are helped or hampered by the present policies. Schools are 
     to be asked to gather data as a basis for improvement 
     efforts. An attempt will be made to enlarge the schools' 
     influence on the out-of-school environment. The high school 
     hired a social worker this year who has helped to expedite 
     assessments and outreach efforts. We have volunteers working 
     with the homeless students on a one to one basis.
     

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