Eighteen-year-old Nia Hill spent her senior year of high school homeless, but she graduated and will attend Howard University, in the nation’s capital, on a full-ride scholarship this fall.
More than 1.3 million students lacked a permanent place to live during the 2013-2014 school year, according to a recent report.
Hill says some of her teachers at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago offered her emotional support. The school gave her bus cards to get there, but she thinks the school could have done more to help.
Federal guidelines, released last week, aim to help states and school districts assist homeless students and implement recent changes to federal law that affect homeless youth.
States are now required to help homeless high schoolers with college readiness and ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth understand and receive help with applying for federal financial aid for college as an independent student, says Christina Dukes, federal liaison at the National Center for Homeless Education.
[Find out how homeless high schoolers face barriers to education.]
“A lot of times high school becomes such a frustration and when you are going through a lot of hardships, you are just trying to get through,” says Jonathan Houston, who coordinates homeless education for the Tukwila School District in Washington state, and has been homeless himself.
High school educators and administrators can use the following strategies to help homeless students get to college.
— Create a college-going culture: Many homeless youth are very capable of going to college, but may feel like it is out of reach, says Dukes, the federal liaison. They may not have family members who have been to college by their side to help guide them through the process.
Educators can help create a college-going culture among homeless youth by providing them with important information about the help that is available and encouraging them to believe that college is possible, she says.
— Ensure homeless youth are aware of available resources: Homeless youth have a plethora of free help available to them, including fee waivers for college entrance exams, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests and college applications, says Dukes.
Unaccompanied homeless youth can also apply for federal financial aid for college as an independent student, which means they don’t need to provide their parents’ financial information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or have their parents sign the FAFSA. This can open doors for students, but students need to know that these, and other supports, are available and how to access them, she says.
— Help homeless teens transition to college: Moving to college can be especially difficult for homeless teens since they may be surrounded by students who have parental support or come from a better economic background, says Dukes.
Homeless students need help making the transition to college, connecting with the college community and accessing available resources, she says. This support is especially critical during their first year.
Hill, the recent graduate, became involved with Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit that helps students from underresourced communities pursue college, her junior year of high school.
She says the group really helped her: They gave her plane tickets to visit colleges, money to cover expenses while on these visits and helped her through the college application process. The organization, she says, will continue to provide support for her through college.
[Learn how mentoring programs aim to increase high school graduates.]
Hill, who is still homeless, says she received many opportunities because she was open about her situation and advises teens in similar circumstances to do the same.
“Be transparent and don’t be afraid to tell others your story because it can motivate other people and it can also open doors for you,” she says.
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How Schools Can Get Homeless High Schoolers to College originally appeared on usnews.com
