Region 7 of the Pennsylvania Homeless Children's Initiative (PAHCI)
works with school districts, shelters, community agencies,
and individuals or families within these counties.
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The main objective of the Pennsylvania Homeless Children's Initiative is to make sure homeless youth have access to appropriate education while removing barriers that homeless children face. Its goal is to have the educational process continue as uninterrupted as possible while the children are in homeless situations.
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A child is considered homeless if he or she is:
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- Living (with or without parents) with relatives or friends, due to the lack of housing (referred to as "doubled up")
- Living (with or without parents) in a homeless or domestic violence shelter
- Living (with or without parents) in a public or private place not designated as regular sleeping accommodations, such as a hotel/motel, vehicle, park, campground, etc.
- A runaway or a child who has been forced out of the home
- Living in transitional housing programs
- A child of a migrant family who lacks adequate housing
- A school-age unwed mother or expectant mother living in houses for unwed mothers when she has no other living accommodations
- A child awaiting foster care placement
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Region 7 staff can assist with:
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- School enrollment/placement
- Arranging transportation
- Obtaining school records
- Interagency problem solving
- Public awareness, in the form of trainings and workshops
- Outreach visits
- Agency referrals
- School supplies/clothing
- Consultative phone calls to answer school, agency and shelter questions
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Additional Resources:
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Pennsylvania Department of Education - www.pde.state.pa.us/homeless
Center for Schools and Communities - www.homeless.center-school.org/
National Center for Homeless Education at Serve - www.serve.org/nche
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth - www.naehcy.org
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
www.nlchp.org
(click the "children ad youth" tab on the left side of the homepage)
Homes for the Homeless - www.homesforthehomeless.com
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Printable Reference Materials:
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PDE Basic Education Circular (BEC): Education for Homeless Youth - http://www.pde.state.pa.us/k12/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=54421
"The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions on the Education rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations" - http://www.naehcy.org/faq.html
NCHE McKinney-Vento Online Training Resources -
http://www.serve.org/nche/training.php
Title I and Homelessness -
http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/titlei.pdf
Food Research & Action Center Child Nutrition Brief (Free School Lunch Information) - http://www.frac.org/pdf/federal_resources_homeless.pdf
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Downloadable Forms:
LEA Liason Monthly Reporting Form
School / Service Agency Referral Form
Dispute Letter
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For more information, please contact:
Lori Conway
Region 7 Coordinator
PA Homeless Children's Initiative
570-718-4613 (phone)
570-287-5721 (fax)
lconway@liu18.org
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