S3 E15: Expanding Opportunities for Homeless Students with Erin Patterson of SchoolHouse Connection

Erin Patterson is the Director of Education Initiatives with SchoolHouse Connection. In this episode, Erin illuminates what makes SchoolHouse Connection the nation’s leading expert on the early care and education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Listeners learn how SchoolHouse Connection supports infants, toddlers, and pregnant and expectant parents, along with statistics and consequences children struggle with when experiencing homelessness. Erin inspires through her mission to overcome homelessness through education and works to expand opportunities for the most underserved students – those experiencing homelessness, in foster care, and in the juvenile justice system.

Episode Mentions:

• NPR’s Morning Edition
• Barbara Duffield - Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection
• The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
• District Homeless Education Liaisons - Homeless Education Directory
• Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 5221)
• American Rescue Plan

Learn More:

• New Data Show Dramatic Increase in Families and Youth in Homeless Shelters, Even While Dramatically Undercounting Families and Youth Experiencing Homelessness: https://schoolhouseconnection.org/2023-hud-data/
• Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Homelessness: Prevalence and Access to Early Learning Across Twenty States: https://schoolhouseconnection.org/infant-and-toddler-homelessness/ 
• New Federal Guidance Urges Expediting ARP-HCY Funds. Now What? https://schoolhouseconnection.org/expediting-arp-hcy-funds/ 

Connect and Learn with Erin & SchoolHouse Connection:

• at SchoolHouse Connection’s website
• on Twitter: SHC & Erin Patterson
• on Instagram:  SHC & Erin Patterson
• on LinkedIn:  SHC & Erin Patterson
• on Threads:  SHC
• on Facebook:  SHC
• on TikTok:  SHC
• on YouTube:  SHC

 #schoolhouseconnection #homeless #homelessness #education #community #nonprofit #homelessnessawareness #support #volunteer #helpingothers #endhomelessness #humanity #mentalhealth

When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, schools change. Students get engaged, get support, and get the chance to thrive. 

Transcript

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Schoolutions – S3 E15: Expanding Opportunities for Homeless Students with Erin Patterson of SchoolHouse Connection

[00:00:00] Olivia: Welcome to Schoolutions, where listening will leave you inspired by solutions to issues you or others you know may be struggling with in the public education system today. I am Olivia Wahl, and I am excited to welcome my guest today, Erin Patterson, of SchoolHouse Connection, a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C.

[00:00:23] Olivia: Let me tell you a little bit about Erin. Erin is a former teacher turned education policy strategist, originally from South Carolina. With nearly 14 years in education, she has gone from the classroom to positions in federal policymaking, philanthropy, and policy consulting. After moving to Washington, D.C., Erin began her career in education policy at the U. S. Department of Education's Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. In that role, she assisted senior advisors on initiatives to expand equitable federal education policies. Throughout her 15-year career in education practice and policy, Erin has focused on expanding opportunities for the most underserved students- those experiencing homelessness, in foster care, and in the juvenile justice system.

[00:01:17] Olivia: I am honored to welcome you as a guest today, Erin. Thank you for being here. 

[00:01:23] Erin: Thank you so much for having me. 

[00:01:25] Olivia: I want to give full disclosure. I have been seeking this interview since February of 2023 (this year). I was driving home from dropping my older son off at school in the morning, and I love to listen to NPR's Morning Edition.

[00:01:42] Olivia: And there was a story on the homelessness population and discrepancies with data reporting. I found it absolutely captivating. And one of the people that was quoted is the executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, Barbara Duffield. And what she left me with her words, she wants to change the policy and align the HUD definition with the Department of Education definition on homelessness.

[00:02:12] Olivia: It compelled me to leave my car, run in the house, and start doing copious amounts of research because the discrepancy is so wide. So for listeners to understand, um, right now, HUD is saying there are about 81,000 homeless children in the United States. The Department of Education is reporting that the count is over 1 million children.

[00:02:39] Olivia: That is gobsmacking to me. So, I'm excited to have you report your work and your role as the Director of Education Initiatives with SchoolHouse Connection and have that perspective. Um, before we jump into conversation on the other many initiatives, you also are in charge of, I'll say, I always start out my episodes with an inspiring educator. So tell us, Erin, who is an inspiring educator from your life? Oh, 

[00:03:10] Erin: I love this question. I will try and talk about it without crying. Um, I, so there are two, um, individuals who immediately popped into my head and they were both my, um, civics social studies teachers. My 8th grade, um, uh, social studies teacher, Mrs. Holland, Teresa Holland. Um, she just, I mean, eighth-grade social studies is not the most exciting, but she had us doing activities and making it personal and relevant. And I just love the way she helped us understand the stories and the history. And then fast forward to 11th-grade, my 11th-grade government teacher, Mrs. Smoke, Kimberly Smoke. Um, and these are two women, Mrs. Smoke just, uh, I will never forget. I was in her class during the Bush-Gore election, and it wasn't an easy job that she had to teach a bunch of 11th graders who otherwise maybe didn't care so much about politics, about why this was so monumentally important in the history of our country while remaining neutral in South Carolina.

[00:04:18] Erin: Um, and she just did an amazing job of, of helping us understand the implications and helping us understand why our actions actually mattered. Um, and so those two women, I just hold in such high regard, such high esteem. Um, the community I grew up in, I was very involved in my church growing up and they were both members in the church and I saw them at school and so they had a huge influence on me both inside and outside the classroom. I hope that they will hear this and I hope that they will know that they are appreciated and remembered to this day when I am a undisclosed amount of years old. 

[00:04:53] Olivia: Well, I think so many of the layers as educators that we hope to leave our students with - it's around the relevancy. It's around the community connections. And that is why I am so honored to have you as a guest, Erin. Um, your outreach and advocacy work to support students that are struggling with homelessness, to support families, caregivers, um, it's just unmatched. Um, so I'd love to kick off our conversation by having you describe what your role with SchoolHouse Connection entails. Um, would you start us off? 

[00:05:33] Erin: Yeah, absolutely. As Director of Education Initiatives, I have the pleasure of working across our early childhood and K-12 bodies of work, those programs. Um, and helping, uh, helping our audience and our network understand what homelessness is and how we can help overcome it from prenatal through post-secondary.

[00:05:53] Erin: Um, this involves a lot of developing resources and tools for our network. Whether it's early childhood program providers, K-12 school districts, state education agencies, helping our team internally feel empowered and helping them to know that when they are getting question after question about a certain issue, it's probably a signal we should say something or do something about it to the broader national field.

[00:06:16] Erin: Um, and all of our work, you know, is informed by first listening and learning to our young people, our young scholars. We, we support a network of young scholars at SchoolHouse Connection. Um, to parents to providers, um, and really internalizing what they are telling us about the state of play. And then charting a course of action. And so a lot of my job entails not just that content practical assistance, but that, um, how answering the question of how we can achieve maximum impact because we are a national organization. 

[00:06:43] Olivia: And well, so that's a gorgeous segue because SchoolHouse Connection is actually deemed the nation's leading expert when it comes to early care, education of children experiencing homelessness. Why do you think you hold that title? 

[00:07:02] Erin: Yeah, it's a great question. I think, um, number one, the experience of our team and the expertise of our team is unparalleled, starting with Barbara at the top, um, all throughout our team of content experts in the early childhood K-12 and higher education. Um, we bring decades of combined experience as direct district, homeless education, liaisons, state education leads, social workers, educators, and advocates. Um, and we're also privileged to have staff members who themselves have lived-experience. Um, and so being able to not only use that to inform our work, but drive our work, um, I think is important.

[00:07:42] Erin: And it's not just that we know the law. It's that we're able to help states, districts, and others apply it in meaningful ways. I always say there's a difference between compliance and innovation. Um, compliance, you're just checking boxes, um, but we really push people to be innovative and it's compliance plus, that is how I refer to it.

[00:08:05] Olivia: I love it. So compliance versus innovation. And I think this world is, it requires folks that think outside of the box and are willing to, to advocate and push the envelope and not just accept no for an answer. So I know that we're going to get into some of the numbers, um, and the facts around homelessness and, um, I'd love for listeners to better understand. What are some statistics and consequences for students that are experiencing homelessness? 

[00:08:44] Erin: Yeah, it's a great question. So first, I think the first thing I should say is to define homelessness and what we mean by that. Excuse me. Um, uh, the K-12 system defines homelessness through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and that really looks at the full range of experiences that put children and youth in jeopardy.

[00:09:02] Erin: It defines homelessness as a child or youth who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This could include those who are staying in a shelter, those who are unsheltered, those who are staying in a motel or hotel, and then those who are doubled-up. And it's important to note that about 75 percent of students experiencing homelessness fall into that doubled-up category.

[00:09:26] Erin: We know that there are a little over 1.2 million K-12 students experiencing homelessness. And then, as you mentioned at the start, a little over 1 million young children birth to 6 experiencing homelessness. And so that means that there are millions of children, youth, and their families who are in situations that are not fixed, regular, and adequate.

[00:09:50] Erin: And so that could be, um, as I mentioned, in a motel or doubled-up. It could be that they are living in housing that is deemed substandard. Um, there's no running water. There's not consistent electricity. There's mold or mildew. There's lead in the paint still, um, all of those circumstances make it hard for children and youth to show up to school every day and not just show up, but show up ready to learn and engage. And so what we're, what we're looking at is, um, helping, um, states and districts implement that McKinney-Vento Act on behalf of those millions of children and youth. 

[00:10:25] Olivia: Can you help us understand, um, what doubled-up means? 

[00:10:30] Erin: Absolutely. Um, doubled-up refers to someone who is sharing the housing of others due to lack of housing, economic hardship, or for other similar reasons. Um, sometimes, um, it's popular for people to talk about couch surfing in a playful way, but this is more serious. Um, when families, particularly those with children and youth are doubled-up, um, they could be living in cramped conditions. It could be a family of three staying with someone else in a one-bedroom apartment.

[00:11:01] Erin: Um, it, it could be a mother and her child who are staying with someone that's maybe not the best situation relationship-wise, um, but the mother has no other alternative, and so it's a stressful, um, experience. There's no claim to the lease. Um, and they have nowhere else to go. Um, we often see doubled-up, um, being experienced more among families with younger children. There's several reasons for that. Um, some of these families could be living in communities where there is no shelter availability. Um, this often happens in rural areas. Could be, um, a suburban or urban area where there are no beds left, um, in the shelter. Many times, um, they are living in communities where even if there is a shelter available, it's not one that accommodates family units.

[00:11:50] Erin: They are geared and built towards single adults, and usually single adult males. Um, and so that means that this, this family is going to try and find any sort of roof or structure to sleep in. And that often puts them in vulnerable situations. Um, those doubled-up situations - I tell people these are not Airbnb luxury experiences. Um, as we mentioned, they could be substandard could be cramped living conditions. Um, we've heard a mother who said I feel like I had to constantly shush my child because I didn't want the homeowner to get mad and throw us out. And for, you know, you think about all the things a young child should be doing.

[00:12:32] Olivia: It's heartbreaking.

[00:12:32] Erin: Right, it's babbling, it's playing, it's moving, um, in a safe, stable environment. And, um, the doubled-up, um, situations in particular are damaging. They're also hidden. It goes largely unseen. Most people hear the word homeless and they think about tent encampments, people living outside, or people staying in a shelter. And that is true. Those are homeless situations. But it also includes these doubled-up living situations that go under the radar for many, many reasons. And so when, even when you ask a family, are you experiencing homelessness, they might not even know that they qualify for services. Not to mention the stigma and fear that's associated with saying yes.

[00:13:15] Olivia: So that’s what was really fascinating to me from that original NPR story that ran. And there was a whole series that that idea of doubled-up, and again, the discrepancy between the HUD reporting numbers and the U.S. Department of Education numbers. So I want to linger there for a moment, because the McKinney-Vento Act, that law acts differently than some of the support that HUD provides. Could you speak to that? 

[00:13:44] Erin: Absolutely. Um, so I mentioned the definition under McKinney-Vento, homelessness includes lacking a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence, and it includes those four categories, sheltered, unsheltered, motel, and doubled-up. The HUD definition on the other, on the other side is much more restrictive. It only recognizes those who are staying in a shelter or those who are unsheltered. And so what that means is that not only our accounts and our data is going to be different, but it means that when a family who has doubled-up, for example, applies for homeless assistance, they will 99 percent of the time be denied.

[00:14:21] Erin: There are really small, minimal, um, uh, situations in which a family, uh, who has doubled-up or in a motel might qualify, but it's super rare. Um, and so that means that for the 75 percent of school-aged children and youth who are doubled-up, they are also not eligible for services through the system that is supposed to support them.

[00:14:47] Olivia: So that just, it kills me. And, um, I know you are a former teacher. I am a former teacher, now coach. And so, you know, just putting our teacher hat on thinking of children walking into our classrooms you've already spoken to - kids can't learn when they're coming and not feeling like safe fed. So I think that it's absolutely fascinating to me that, you know, we're not doing everything we possibly can at that government level to ensure with HUD that every child has access to resources, you know, it's just, it's so frustrating to me that we're such a rich country yet why we're not putting our resources where they need to be. I'm sure you experience the same frustration.

[00:15:40] Erin: Couldn't agree more. Um, and that, I think that is why services through McKinney-Vento are so important because if a family is experiencing homelessness, and then if they can't qualify for services through HUD homeless assistance, then the school becomes even more important. The outsized role that education plays in a young person's life, and in fact, the McKinney-Vento Act is designed in recognition of the fact that the more education a person is able to attain, the less likely they are to experience or continue experiencing homelessness. And so we have to do everything in our power to maintain educational stability, no matter what a young person might be facing outside of the school building.

[00:16:22] Olivia: So what would you say, Erin, to a teacher that has a family experiencing homelessness? What's the best way that that educator can support the family because we know simply teaching a curricula is not really the role of a teacher. We go far beyond those boundaries when it comes to our children. 

[00:16:41] Erin: Yeah, I love that question. And the first thing I would say is know your District Homeless Education Liaison. Every school district is required to have one through the McKinney-Vento Act. It is federally mandated and your district liaison lives and breathes this every day. And they will know exactly what to do from identifying the student, to making sure they have appropriate transportation if their living situation has changed. Helping them access any technology tools needed for learning, helping them get access to hygiene products, food to take home. And then all the way up. to some of the more innovative things we've been seeing with rescue plan funds, um, is helping families get a few nights in a motel. Um, and so now we're in a situation where schools are paying for, um, short-term, um, housing for families and what that does is not only helps a student maintain their educational stability, but if another entity is paying for a family's motel stay, it knocks them into qualifying for HUD Homeless Assistance.

[00:17:46] Olivia: Oh my goodness. 

[00:17:47] Erin: So we're trying to find those ways to help from every angle. 

[00:17:52] Olivia: That is brilliant! Oh, that's hopeful. I like hopeful. And again, it's innovative, right? Thinking outside of the box. Would you mind defining then what the Homeless Children and Youth Act is? 

[00:18:07] Erin: Yeah, so all of the, the tensions and conflicts we're talking about between these two definitions, the Homeless Children and Youth Act, um, would rectify that and would align HUD's definition. Um, it's a bipartisan act, um, and it's, uh, it recognizes that we have to get more services to families who need them the most. And so it would align the definitions, which would then align funding and services that are available to children, youth, and their families. 

[00:18:35] Olivia: What do you think the chances are? I know that bill was already - it didn't make the vote when it was originally put out. What are the chances that you see that changing? 

[00:18:47] Erin: That's a Barbara question for sure. She is on the front lines in Congress and she would have a much better response to that. I will say that I think progress is incremental and she likes to remind us that, um, some years as many years as she's been advocating, um, there were no sponsors or there were two co-sponsors. Now we're up to multiple bipartisan co-sponsors and that is encouraging for us and that, uh, That helps us know that the progress is happening. 

[00:19:14] Olivia: It is. I agree. And I, you know, I think it's important to put on listeners’ radar that this is a possibility and the potential that having that act, um, go through would be incredible to unify those definitions. Huge. Um, so. Let's pivot a bit. Um, you also do beautiful work when it comes to supporting infants, toddlers, and expectant pregnant families. So what is that work that you do? 

[00:19:45] Erin: So the, I think the first important thing to say is that a large part of our work is about giving voice to those infants, toddlers, and expectant parents who are experiencing homelessness. Um, as we mentioned, those are, those are the individuals who are more likely to be in doubled-up situations. And so they are more likely to go unseen. We call it hidden homelessness for a reason. Um, and, and moreover, infants and toddlers, um, experience it in unseen ways. Um, we mentioned sharing the housing of others behind the closed doors of motels, um, in trailer parks, campgrounds, um, living in their car or an abandoned building.

[00:20:24] Erin: And these forms of homelessness put children at risk, um, they're vulnerable situations and the consequences are long-term. Um, and, uh, children, um, are largely go unrecognized by systems. Um, we talk about, um, young people experiencing homelessness. We talk about homeless, uh, service systems, um, being geared towards usually single adults, uh, primarily single adult males.

[00:20:50] Erin: Um, and we often ignore our infants and toddlers, especially in that prenatal to three age range. And that's actually when 90 percent of brain development is happening. And so we have to elevate that this homeless experience is not just happening to the adult or the parent in the situation. We have to give voice to our young children who are in these situations, um, largely because they might not be able to speak yet, so they don't have a voice, um, and they can't say and articulate how the situation is impacting them, but it is, in really consequential ways.

[00:21:27] Olivia: Right! What are some of the resources that you offer for caregivers and families? 

[00:21:33] Erin: So one of the most important things we do is gather and publish data. Um, it's, it's hard to solve a problem that's not known. And so we try and put numbers behind it so that instead of going to a state agency and saying child homelessness is a problem, we can go to states and say there are 14,000 infants and toddlers in your state who are experiencing homelessness, less than 5 percent were enrolled in an early childhood development program. And those, in fact, are some of the statistics that we've unearthed, um, in our work. And so being able to inform our work from that data has really helped propel us. Um, and in some cases, it's, we'll work with a partner and they'll say, that can't be right. And then they'll go back and look at their numbers and they’ll say, oh, we, we, we noted it in a different place or, yeah, we're, we're only serving 70, um, homeless families in our state and then another 260 who are living with someone else. And it's about saying, well, actually those are experiencing homelessness as well, are very likely are.

[00:22:38] Erin: Um, so the data is super important to us. And then helping practitioners understand what homelessness is. It's a lot of working with Head Start and Early Head Start, home visiting providers, licensed child care providers, early intervention specialists. Making sure they know, um, the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness, and know that it does apply to early childhood development programs, and understand what those signs are, and how to talk with families in respectful, um, reassuring ways about their homeless situation.

[00:23:10] Erin: One of the simplest things we do is advise programs in their, when they, um, uh, send out their enrollment forms, there's usually a housing questionnaire. And we, we say, take the word homeless off. Don't ask if someone is homeless, ask what their living situation is, and then let them tell you, um, check off the boxes of doubled-up or living in a motel. Um, and so it's that sort of practical, we call it practical assistance work. And 

[00:23:38] Olivia: And how over time, um, how has the housing crisis or shortage impacted your numbers research-wise? 

[00:23:49] Erin: That's a great question that we're hoping to answer in our next data dump. Um, I think, um, there are, uh, some data sets that have not been available long-term, um, and then COVID happened. And um, COVID not only impacted everyone's day-to-day life, but it also paused the data collection, um, for some programs. And so, um, what we saw in the K-12 system, at least, was this decline in the identification of students experiencing homelessness. And that's not because homelessness was decreasing. And in fact, our messaging had to address the fact that actually homelessness is increasing.

[00:24:29] Erin: But the one place that is most likely to identify students experiencing homelessness is school and school is shut down. And so you can't identify something you're not seeing physically every day. Um, and so we're, we're starting to see those, those, um, trends go back upward, which we anticipated and not only go up and back to pre-pandemic levels, but increase. We are now starting to get data, at least in the in the preK to 12 side that's, that's affirming what we, um, unfortunately suspected that, um, numbers would go back to pre-pandemic levels, but, but homelessness has in fact increased. I think it's also important to say that homelessness disproportionately impacts our Black students, Hispanic students, and American Indian, Alaska Native students.

[00:25:16] Erin: And so what we mean by disproportionately is, um, while Black students only make up about 15 percent of our student body population, um, they experience homelessness at a rate of almost 25%. And so that disproportionality, I think there are so many historical factors and reasons why, but it's so important to understand that when you're working directly or indirectly with a school, a district, or, um, with students, um, and to know what the, um, what the history is in terms of approaching a conversation about homelessness. We often hear families who say, I don't trust the system, and that is very, very valid, especially if they are a Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native family, who the whole history of those groups in this country has been mistrust and abuse. And so working with those families, um, in a respectful and sensitive way, I think is even more important.

[00:26:14] Olivia: I cannot agree more. And I think there's something to be said as well, even when it comes to attendance with events in school. I always say to teachers, please just put into perspective what your caregivers’ experiences were when they were attending school. Do not judge if a family doesn't show up. Ask why? What is it that we are not doing to have families or caregivers feel welcome into our spaces? So Erin, thank you for illuminating that fact as well. I appreciate it.

[00:26:49] Erin: Yeah, I'll also just say really quickly, um, we are getting an influx of questions as well from school districts who are receiving, um, immigrant, migrant, and refugee families in unparalleled numbers more than ever before. Um, and that is putting, um, a need on the school system. Um, we've heard everything from one state, um, granted out millions of dollars just for districts to be able to help immigrant families experiencing homelessness in their school systems. Other school systems are creating brand new preschool classrooms because the demand is so large from immigrant families in particular coming into their communities.

[00:27:30] Erin: Um, and so we just, um, first of all, offer so much praise for homeless education liaisons who are in the field on the ground, doing that work every day, trying to figure out a way to make it work. Um, and it's, it's, um, uh, truly inspiring to see everything they're doing to help families feel welcome and comfortable.

[00:27:49] Olivia: It sure is. It sure is. And I want to just pause and think about that COVID period of time. There are families and caregivers that yes, they had to go to work, they were stretched very thinly. Um, and yet I pause to think of families that are in the doubled-up situation, and they were trying to get their children logged on to a Chromebook or a computer without the chaotic noise in the background.

[00:28:20] Olivia: I mean, there's a point where you for everyone's mental health and well-being, you just say enough and you almost check out. And so I can't imagine, um, just I thinking of those families and those situations and how the children really lost access to that connection in school in many different ways, not just the physicality of going into the building.

[00:28:48] Erin: That's exactly right. And in fact, I think what you described is sort of a throwing the hands up and saying, I can't do this anymore. And that is understandable. And what what many of our older youth, in fact, chose to do. And we, we lost track of many of our students experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Um, a large part of our efforts and the field's efforts since have been trying to find and reengage them. Because as, as we said earlier, education is the best bet to overcome homelessness. And so because of the pandemic, we lost students, we're trying to re-engage them and trying to get them back on that path.

[00:29:27] Olivia: Yeah, and I am seeing the same in middle and high schools that I'm working with as well. Just re-engaging students in general is, it's a huge first step. It's a step moving forward. Um, so in your role, um, as the Education Initiative Director, or Director of Education Initiatives, what initiatives are you the most excited about right now that you're working on?

[00:29:55] Erin: Without a doubt, ARP-HCY, um, we, I'll spell out the acronym and really walk you through what that means and why it's so exciting to us. Um, speaking of the pandemic, um, uh, many people are familiar with loads of, of relief funds that were infused into, um, our systems and our economy. One of those packages was the American Rescue Plan (ARP). And, um, it allocated 800 million dollars, specifically to homeless children and youth (so ARP-HCY). Yes! A huge historic investment. More than the homeless education program has seen in the last 10 years combined in one, one fell swoop. Um, and so, um, since 2021, we have been working with states and school districts to spend that money, spend those funds for multiple reasons.

[00:30:45] Erin: One, primarily it's needed. Our students, children, youth, and families need these funds, which can be used for all of the things that a homeless education program would normally provide during any other school year. And there are some more flexible uses. I mentioned motel stays and schools paying for motel stays. That's one of the uses of ARP-HCY. ARP-HCY funds can also be used for things like paying for a family's vehicle repair, if that vehicle repair means a student getting to school or not. um, ARP-HCY funds can also be used for early childhood services, um, to make sure that our youngest children are school-ready. Um, and so we're really excited about this opportunity and there's a time limit on it. And so, um, these funds have to be obligated by states and districts by September 30th, 2024 and they must be liquidated or spent by January 30th, 2025. So the clock is ticking. We're in the final countdown obligation-wise.

[00:31:50] Erin: Um, and, and we want states and districts to spend these funds. Um, and we're in, we're in the phase now where, um, we're finding out what the barriers are to states and districts spending the funds. It might be that they want to purchase a bunch of store cards, but their business office says, hmm, I don't know about that. And so they need a tool for tracking to make sure that families are getting what they need. Make sure that the business officer is assured that there's no fraud or abuse happening. And so it doesn't sound glamorous, but we're, we're helping develop those tools like trackers that can make the difference.

[00:32:24] Erin: Um, and then the last thing I'll say is if these funds aren't spent, they get sent back to Treasury. And when that happens, number one, it means that they haven't gone to meet the needs of children and youth in the field. But also it means that when we go back to ask for a regular appropriation for the Homeless Children and Youth Program, they're going to say, but you didn't use the extra money that we gave you, so why should we believe that you need an increase? So it's, it's really, really important to us to make sure we're assisting states and districts to use these funds. 

[00:32:56] Olivia: So that is insanely inspiring and hopeful. Um, what is the best way that districts can get in touch with you to, to have a better understanding?

[00:33:08] Erin: The best ways are on our website, we have a special ARP-HCY web page. Um, and that page has all the tools and resources that we've been developing, all of the information that translates the U. S. Department of Education's guidance and dear colleague letter. Um, and it also has our contact information. And, um, the, the people who should get in touch with us are, um, people who have, um, direct access to or control over their homeless education programs. So those are going to be district liaisons and state homeless education coordinators. We're always happy to answer questions from anyone who wants to know anything about homeless education, but, um, those are going to be the people that are best poised to take action.

[00:33:47] Olivia: Wonderful. And I will make sure - your website is amazing. The resources are incredible. So I will talk all of those details into the show notes for followers and listeners. Erin, your brilliance just exudes. You are so articulate. You're so well-spoken and extraordinarily helpful in shining a light on possibility and yet naming issues that we're facing and that need addressing. You know, what is our call to action to best support SchoolHouse Connection, support your work, and initiatives? 

[00:34:23] Erin: Yeah, thank you so much for that. Um, the first thing I would say is I hope that by listening, um, your audience is more aware of homelessness and what it looks like and what the signs are. And I would say the call to action then is if you are seeing people in your community or your school or your district who you think are experiencing homelessness, know who your liaison is. Know who that person is who can help that family or that young person receive services. Um, I would be remiss if I also didn't say if you were in a position to advocate, get in touch with your state representatives, um, so that you can encourage them to sign on to that Homeless Children and Youth Act, which again is bipartisan. It will, um, align our definitions so that more children, youth, and families will be eligible for more services. Um, and, and lastly, I would just say support, um, the children, youth, and families in your community, um, by whatever means are available to you. Um, we certainly appreciate support of people across the country for SchoolHouse Connection, but look for ways that you can get involved in your community.

[00:35:30] Erin: Doesn't have to be through the school system. It could be through an after-school tutoring program, or a food pantry or a closed closet. There are so many needs and so many people that I think can help and are willing to help meet those needs. 

[00:35:42] Olivia: I agree. And it's such an honor to be in conversation with you. Um, as I said earlier, I've been hoping to have this conversation for many, many months now, and, um, your important work is just vital to really helping humanity be better, and that's what I'm all about. So thank you, Erin, so much. 

[00:36:04] Erin: Thank you so much. 

[00:36:06] Olivia: Schoolutions is a podcast created, produced, and edited by me, Olivia Wahl. Special thanks to my guest, Erin Patterson. Also, a big thank you to my older son, Benjamin, who created the music that's playing in the background. I would love for you to share the podcast far and wide. Leave a review, subscribe on YouTube, and follow us on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook @schoolutionspodcast. If you'd like to become a Schoolutions sponsor or share episode ideas, leave me a SpeakPipe voice memo at my website, www.oliviawahl.com/podcast, or connect via email at @schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com. Please keep listening. Let's continue finding inspiration together.