Governor's Early Learning Council Homelessness and Early...

Homelessness and Early Childhood: Challenges, Opportunities, and Resources

Eric I. Grumdahl, Director of Special Projects | Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Office to Prevent and End Homelessness

2019 Parent Education Symposium | January 10, 2019

Who is in the room today?1/9/2019 Housing Stability for All Minnesotans | www.headinghomeminnesota.org 2

Over the next 45 minutes…

• Share what we know about homelessness in Minnesota, especially among young children

• Describe efforts underway to prevent and end homelessness

• Offer some resources and suggestions in your roles as parent educators and early learning experts

• Discussion

Mass Homelessness and Housing

Instability

Deinstitutionalization

Jeopardy for low-income people due to

significant macroeconomic shifts

Divestment in Federal housing programs

1/9/2019 Housing Stability for All Minnesotans | www.headinghomeminnesota.org 5

• Monetary policy of late 1970s created inflation and soaring interest rates

• Farm Crisis of 1980s, esp. Midwest impact• Transition to service / knowledge economy• Professionalization of social services

Reagan-era decimation of Federal programs, including housing: • From 1981 to 1989, HUD

budget authorizations were cut by 78 percent.

• Public Housing units authorized dropped from 30k – 50k per year in late 1970s to ZERO in 1984.

• Implementation of Community Mental Health Act of 1963: deinstitutionalization of people with mental health challenges, without creating needed community-based capacity.

• Failures in transition planning from foster care, corrections, substance abuse treatment, and other systems

Responding to homelessness: Key policy milestones

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

• July 1987

Wilder Research’s Statewide Homeless Study

• October 1991

Ending Long-term Homelessness in Minnesota: Report and Business Plan

• March 2004

Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act (HEARTH) Act

• May 2009

Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

• June 2010

Heading Home: Minnesota’s Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

• December 2013

Definition of homelessness

• Children or youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:

• Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason

• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations

• Living in emergency or transitional shelters

• Living in places not meant for habitation (e.g., vehicles)

• Fixed, Regular, and Adequate

• Fixed: Stationary, permanent, not subject to change

• Regular: Used on a predictable, routine, consistent basis; Consider the relative permanence of the living arrangement

• Adequate: Lawful and reasonably sufficient for meeting physical and psychological needs typically met in a home environment

Can the student go to the SAME PLACE (fixed) EVERY NIGHT (regular) to sleep in a SAFE and SUFFICIENT SPACE (adequate)?

The magnitude of the problem is surprising

• Multiple data sources:

• Triennial Wilder Homeless Study

• HUD Point-in-Time count

• School and early learning program records

• HHS Early Childhood estimates

• Wilder study finds:

• Of all age groups, children and youth age 24 and under are the most likely to be homeless in Minnesota.

• Nearly half (47%) of these children are age 5 or under.


Source: Wilder Research, Homelessness in Minnesota: Findings from the 2015 Minnesota Homeless Study

http://mnhomeless.org

http://mnhomeless.org/

Point-in-Time Count 2010 – 2018: People in Families


4,2644,085 4,204

4,4864,725

3,9243,672 3,769

3,250

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Heading Homeplan launched

Down 31%

Student records may signal progress


17% increase per year on average

The impacts of homelessness are bleak

Ample research documents lasting impacts of homelessness for children in:

• Language and literacy.

• Health and access to health care and services.

• Likelihood of child welfare involvement.

• Cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development and attainment of early developmental milestones.

• Reading and school readiness.

FFI: https://tinyurl.com/EC-Homelessness-Overview


Third grade math proficiency

https://tinyurl.com/EC-Homelessness-Overview

Homelessness reflects racial and ethnic disparities

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Over-represented by 6.1x

Over-represented by 4.5x

State government’s

role and response


U. S. Interagency Council on

Homelessness

AgricultureCommerce

Corporation for National

and Community

Service

Defense

Education

Energy

General Services

Administration

Health and Human Services

Homeland Security

Housing and Urban

DevelopmentInterior

Justice

Labor

Office of Management and Budget

Social Security Administration

Transportation

United States Postal Service

Veterans Affairs

White House Office of Faith-

based and Community Initiatives

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Minnesota Interagency Council on

Homelessness

Corrections

Education

Employment and Economic Development

Governor’s Office

Health

Human Rights

Human Services

Metropolitan Council

Minnesota Housing

Office of Higher

Education

Public Safety

Transportation

Veterans Affairs

Heading Home, 2013 - 2020


Timeline


Heading Home

Update

Heading Home

Walz First TermDayton First Term Dayton Second Term

Interagency Councilconvenes

Heading Home Together

Prevent homelessness whenever possible, andotherwise making it rare, brief, and non-recurring

Episodes ofhomelessness

BRIEF

Newincidents

PREVENT

Housing outcomes

RARE

Recidivism

NON-RECURRING

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Seven Principles

1. Identify all people experiencing homelessness.

2. Provide some form of shelter immediately to anyone who needs it, with appropriate services.

3. Link people experiencing homelessness with housing and services tailored to their needs through coordinated entry and prioritize people experiencing chronic homelessness for permanent supportive housing.

4. Assist people with moving swiftly into permanent housing with any needed supports.

5. Use a person-centered, Housing First orientation in our response to homelessness.

6. Help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness increase employment and income.

7. Organize resources, plans, partnerships, and system capacity that are sufficient to prevent and end homelessness on an ongoing basis.


To prevent and end homelessness in Minnesota, we will work collaboratively to:

Federal agencies

National partners

Philan-thropy

Local and Tribal gov’t

Private-sector

partners

Advocacy groups

Faith-based groups

Comm-unities of

color

People with dis-abilities

LGBTQ comm-unities

Intersecting, overlapping stakeholder groups


CoCs

Providers

Committed Partners

• Alliance Housing

• Association of Minnesota Counties

• Child Care Aware of Minnesota

• Corporation for Supportive Housing

• Emma Norton Services

• Governor’s Early Learning Council

• Heading Home Minnesota Funders Collaborative

• Hennepin County Office to End Homelessness

• Hennepin County Youth Collaborative

• Minneapolis Downtown Business Council

• Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans

• Minnesota Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

• Minnesota Association of Area Agencies on Aging:

• Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging

• Central Minnesota Council on Aging

• Land of the Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging

• Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging

• Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Area Agency on Aging

• Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging

• Southeastern Minnesota Area Agency on Aging

• Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators

• Minnesota Board on Aging

• Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless

• Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women

• Minnesota Head Start Association

• Minnesota HIV Housing Coalition20

• Minnesota Housing Partnership

• Minnesota Tribal Collaborative to Prevent and End Homelessness

• Minnesota’s 10 Continuums of Care: Central, Hennepin, Northeast, Northwest, Ramsey, SMAC, Southeast, Southwest, St. Louis, and West Central

• National Alliance on Mental Illness

• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

• Oasis Central Minnesota

• The Family Place

• U. S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs medical centers:

• Fargo VA Health Care System

• Minneapolis VA Health Care System Homeless Programs

• Saint Cloud Health Care System

• Sioux Falls Veterans Administration

• Youth Services Network

Heading Home Together Leadership Circle

• Unprecedented, collaborative approach to collective impact

• Leverages and reinforces existing collaborative efforts, including:

• The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness

• Heading Home Alliance

• Heading Home Minnesota Funders Collaborative

• Emphasizes equity and the voices of people with lived experience

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What are we doing now to end homelessness among young children?

Families with children are one of four key populations for the Heading Home Together plan. Activities focused on early learners include:

• Prioritized and expedited access to Early Learning Scholarships, outreach to homeless service providers, and support for innovative program models

• Reinforcing Federal guidance regarding access to Early Head Start and Head Start programs

• Implementation of Foundational Service Practices for Early Childhood Family Education and Family Home Visiting programs

• Supporting local implementation of McKinney-Vento Act requirements for early childhood programs


Early Learning Scholarship program

• Early Learning Scholarship help pay for high-quality child care and early education programs.

• Children experiencing homelessness are prioritized for access to scholarships, and have seen the biggest growth in awards.

• Opportunities for coordination are encouraged and supported (e.g., People Serving People partnership).

• FFI: Contact [email protected], 651-582-8301 or https://education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/elsprog/elschol/

1/9/2019 23

Special

Populations

FY2018

Pathway

I

Pathway

II

Statewide

Children of Teen

Parent

154 42 196

Foster Care 769 115 884

Children

Receiving Child

Protective

Services

110 10 120

Experiencing

Homelessness

1,642 427 2,069

Total 2,675 594 3,269

mailto:[email protected]

https://education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/elsprog/elschol/


Fabulous, free Head Start resources

Eight self-paced learning modules, spanning definitions, resources, and service strategies

https://tinyurl.com/headstarthomeless

https://tinyurl.com/headstarthomeless

Foundational Service Practices

1. Know the housing status of the people you are serving

2. Actively reach out to people experiencing homelessness

3. Limit requirements for in-person appointments at a particular location or office

4. Assist with the process of gathering required verifications or documentation

5. Allow for multiple methods to communicate about benefits and services

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What’s hard for people who are

housed can seem

impossible for people who are

homeless.

MDE McKinney-Vento resources for homeless education

MDE McKinney-Vento / Education for Homeless Children and Youth program: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/ESEA/home/

• Blueprint for Homeless ServicesUse this flowchart to help evaluate the multiple considerations and legal requirements for McKinney Vento eligible learners. Districts and charters may consider adapting this document to specify which person at their location(s) will be responsible for attending to a McKinney Vento Eligible learner’s needs.

• Basic Needs Tracking FormSchool and district staff may use this tracking form as tool to better identify a student’s basic needs and document how those needs are monitored.

• Health Needs Tracking FormHomeless liaisons or school nurses may use this tracking form as tool to better identify a student’s health related needs and document how those needs are monitored.

• School Item Request FormUse to identify what students need in the way of school supplies. For McKinney Vento eligible secondary learners or unaccompanied minors.

https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/ESEA/home/

https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=MDE075273&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary




Homework Starts with Home

• $4 million, three-year initiative in five communities focused on:

• Stabilizing homeless and highly mobile students and their families

• Preventing student homelessness

• Supporting practitioners with better evidence about how to tailor services most effectively

• Strategies are locally driven and tailored for community needs

• Strong philanthropic commitment poised to expand reach of state investments

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/fam/home/

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/fam/home/

Preliminary practice model

Equity focus

Nothing about us without us

Early identification and trauma-

informed responses

Two-Gen approaches

Progressive Engagement

Housing First orientation

Leveraging mainstream

resources

Continuous improvement

Homework Starts with Home Preliminary Practice Model1/9/2019 Housing Stability for All Minnesotans | www.headinghomeminnesota.org 28

Free, online training content on components of the model available on Minnesota Housing’s Homework Starts with Home web page:

http://tinyurl.com/MH-HSWH-2018

http://tinyurl.com/MH-HSWH-2018

Compassionate Framing in Action

“This child is doing the best

they can”

“Hurting people hurt people”

“It’s dysregulation,

not disrespect”

“I need to share my calm, not

join their chaos”

“It’s my job to help you regulate”

“What is the why behind this

behavior?”

economicassets

health & well-being

educationsocial capital

careerpathways

What more can we do together?1/9/2019 Housing Stability for All Minnesotans | www.headinghomeminnesota.org 31

Discussion

• What role should early childhood programs play in community responses to homelessness?

• How can we ensure that these connections exist and grow stronger?

• What practical step could your parent education program take next to help support families experiencing homelessness?


Thank you!

Eric Grumdahl, Director of Special Projects

Minnesota Department of Education

Minnesota Office to Prevent and End Homelessness

651.582.8511 | [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

Governor's Early Learning Council Homelessness and Early...

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