Building Changes is an organization whose mission is to “advance equitable responses to homelessness in Washington State, with a focus on children, youth, and families and the systems that serve them.” They recently shared an important planning document for school districts to use as they develop their Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plans.
In addition to significant amounts of federal funding coming to school districts to help with learning recovery and supports for students, there are federal funds coming to districts that are specifically designed to “identify, provide wraparound services to, and assist students experiencing homelessness in attending schools and participating fully in school activities.”
Here are four things you can do to make sure your plan accounts for the needs of students experiencing homelessness and advances your equity goals:
Include your McKinney-Vento district liaison and building points of contact in district planning both for the specific McKinney-Vento funds and for the larger Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plan;
Use data relevant to student stability to identify gaps and target resources to eliminate racial inequities;
Expand your reach and capacity through partnerships with community-based organizations; and
Use federal dollars creatively to provide flexible transportation and support housing stability.
For more details, check out their planning document. If you have further questions, reach out to their Senior Manager for Policy and Advocacy, Katara Jordan.