A 10th grade student in one of the schools served by HopePHL was kicked out of his home and reached out for support. He did not have other family or friends to stay with. HopePHL's Thrive program referred him to the emergency shelter at YES, which provided safe housing for the student. During that time, our team provided money for clothing and school supplies so that he was able to keep up with school. At the end of the 21 days, he was able to return home to a diffused situation with his parents.

The story above is just one example of the positive affect the American Rescue Plan’s funding is used to support students experiencing homelessness. Pennsylvania received $32 million from the American Rescue Plan for the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. This program supported 40,000 children and youth in 2022. The funding has paid for activities that increase high school graduation, lower truancy, stabilize housing, and much more.
More than 400 school districts and charters have received the funding but stand to lose it as the APR dollars expire January 31, 2025. Any funds that remain will go back to the Treasury. As of January 31, Pennsylvania still had $7.3 million unspent (see general fund status here) with five months remaining.

Thanks to HopePHL and our allies, United State Senators Robert Casey and John Fetterman responded positively to our request to sign-on to a “Dear Colleague” letter that proposes to extend the obligation deadline by one year for funding made available under section 2001(b)(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, for the purposes of serving homeless children and youth (ARP-HCY).

A problem that Senator Casey can solve is to extend the deadline. We are encouraging Congress to extend the obligation deadline by at least one school year to ensure that all ARP-HCY funds are used strategically to support increasing numbers of students experiencing homelessness. Congress also should increase annual funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) funding.

As outlined in the report, Congress should extend the deadline because:
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• One-quarter of school district homeless liaisons that were surveyed, indicated that they may not be able to obligate all of their ARP-HCY funds by the September 2024 deadline due to a limited amount of time and/or administrative hurdles. An additional 25% of liaisons were unaware their district received ARP-HCY funds, potentially making it difficult to meet spending deadlines. This is also a sign of a greater disconnect between school district homeless liaisons and local educational leadership.

 

• Staff turnover and lack of capacity also emerged as challenges across survey responses. At the state level, there was a nearly 50% turnover rate in the position of State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth from April 2021 to January 2024.

 

• Clarity about the flexible use of these funds was not communicated to States until the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance in September 2023 – more than 2.5 years after the funds were first appropriated, ultimately leaving state and local educational agencies with less than 12 months to obligate ARP-HCY funds.

 

• A longer timeline would allow state education agencies time to reallocate ARP-HCY funds more equitably to communities with unique needs. Of particular concern are rural communities, who have unmet need as a result of broad systemic failures, yet are often left out of these funding opportunities. 

 
This funding has had a transformative effect in the lives of children, youth, and families that have experienced homelessness. Thank you, Senators Casey and Fetterman, for doing what is important to support our homeless students.  

The City of Philadelphia Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) invited community partners to provide input on the draft 2022-2023 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report which will be released for public testimony in May. HopePHL’s response was presented by Trish Downey, Senior Director of External Affairs. Eleven other groups provided testimony, including Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, Community Legal Services, and Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia. HopePHL operates several programs in partnership with DHCD, such as:

• 35 units of temporary housing for youth and families experiencing homelessness,
• 120 units of affordable supportive housing,
• 18 units of rapid rehousing services,
• rental assistance,
• small business services and events,
• Neighborhood Advisory Committee programming, and
• tangled title educational events and services.

HopePHL’s testimony can be downloaded using the button in this article. It was submitted to the public record around 2:45pm on March 12, 2024. We are grateful for DHCD’s continued support and for the opportunity to provide recommendations. HopePHL looks forward to partnering with the city to preserve housing stability, prevent homelessness, and offer temporary housing and services to youth and families experiencing homelessness.

March 2, 2024
 
At 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 2, 2024, a fire was reported in one of HopePHL’s rental units in West Philadelphia on Holly Street. The Fire Marshal and fire department reported to the building, evacuated the unit and extinguished the fire. The head of the household occupying the unit was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. There was fire, smoke, and water damage to the unit, rendering it uninhabitable at this time.