Eighty-percent of these colleges received their funding from state administered Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act funds. Community colleges also explained that using such sites can alleviate transportation issues and students concerns about nightly accommodation. All colleges offer instruction at more than one facility. Houston Community College, TX, for example, provides adult basic education classes at 7 city-wide sites. Moreover, classes through out the nation are scheduled for day, evening, and weekend hours.
All colleges emphasize the importance of an innovative curriculum and individualized programming.
The learning experience must be relevant to the homeless student. Fayetteville Community College, NC, cautions well-intentioned organizations to refrain from offering programming and solutions until after a thorough needs assessment of a potential site and target population has taken place. Shelters differ in their philosophies and goals, as do their residents who come from a wide range of personal experiences. A shelter for battered women and children is likely to have different needs to that of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center or a center for the homeless mentally-ill. The colleges surveyed also note that short-term modular curricula are effective, especially with a potential transitory population.