Category: Advocacy

Senators Casey and Fetterman Show Support of the American Rescue Plan Extension

3/21/2024

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:

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.

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State Level Brief Update - A Call To Action

2/15/2024

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The “State-Level Brief Update – A Call to Action” is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office and HopePHL, in partnership with Grace Whitney, PhD. The Update highlights key state-level housing, education, and early childhood sector data regarding young children experiencing homelessness and it expands earlier efforts by including data related to young children in foster care.

Read The full brief here

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Help To Extend The Affordable Connectivity Program Before It Comes To An End!

1/31/2024

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Over 22 million U.S. households are enrolled in the The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), that is equal to roughly one in six of all Americans. ACP is a federal benefit that helps low-income households that qualify pay for internet services and devices.

The one-time funding for the program that was appropriated by Congress is set to run out by April 2024. Congress may approprate additional funds but it is not guaranteed so the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must operate as if the program will end.

Dates to know:

April 2024 is projected to be the last fully-funded month
February 7th at 11:59 P.M. is the last day to enroll in the program. All enrollment for the program will be frozen starting February 8th.

The official last fully-funded month will be announced in late February. ACP households will receive further instruction after this confirmation. Providers must offer additional opt-in to continue service if the consumer had not already been an active customer prior to applying the ACP benefit or if the ACP benefit covers the entire cost of a customer’s bill.

Notifications To Look For:

The FCC will announce the last fully funded month of ACP 60 days prior to the end of that month. (Example: April 2024 is the currently forecasted to be the last month, so the announcement would come on March 1, 2024 if this estimate is correct.)
Providers are required to give 3 separate notifications to customer in writing:

1) January 25, 2024: Must state the possibility of ACP end and potential impact on their future bills
2) 15 days after FCC announcement of last fully-funded month of ACP
3) During the customer’s last bill or billing cycle using the ACP benefit
*Provider Notifications 2 & 3 must state the ending date of ACP and date of the last bill it will be applied to, bill amount without the ACP benefit OR statement that the customer will be subjected to undiscounted rates per term conditions, and give them the ability to change their service and/or to opt out continuing service at the end of ACP.

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HopePHL Perspective - April 2023

5/1/2023

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The latest news from the HopePHL Perspective is here. Click on the Read More button for updates on how the legislative leadership is responding to the Children Cannot Wait campaign and more.

Read April Perspective

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Emergency Housing Opens Its Doors

4/6/2023

We are thrilled to announce the reopening of our Emergency Housing department, which is now able to accommodate larger families of four or more. We have already welcomed four families of seven to ten people, with another family of nine arriving soon.

Thanks to the city's partnership, we have been able to provide much-needed shelter to families who were previously struggling to find safe and stable housing. While we are still in the process of assessing their specific requirements, we know that baby formula and supplies are always in high demand. Our Emergency Housing department is now providing a lifeline to over 35 children, ranging from 4 months to 17 years old.

‘Thank you’ Representatives Evans, Scanlon, Wild, and Boyle!

4/3/2023

Recently, local Congressional members proposed increasing support for two key programs that support thousands of Pennsylvania's children and youth experiencing homelessness. A bipartisan "Dear Colleague" letter was circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives, calling for $800 million for the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and $300 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program in the FY2024 budget.

The EHCY and RHYA programs have been underfunded for several years, but the American Rescue Plan delivered increases to these programs, thanks to bipartisan support that seized on the opportunity to expand services. As a result, Pennsylvania received a one-time allocation of $32 million to serve over 30,000 children and youth experiencing homelessness, compared to the usual budget of less than $6 million. This increase helped 8,000 children and youth experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.

We are happy to report that Congresspersons Dwight Evans (Philadelphia), Mary Jo Scanlon (Delaware), Susan Wild (Lehigh), and Brendan Boyle (Philadelphia) have signed onto the letter. The next step is for the House Appropriations Committee to decide whether to support this effort. We are reaching out to PA-based Appropriations Committee members Guy Renschenthaler (14th District, SW Pennsylvania) and Matt Cartwright (8th District, NW Pennsylvania), and we ask advocates in those regions to contact their representatives.

Family Service Provider Network Releases Mayoral Policy Brief

2/7/2023

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The Family Service Provider Network, brought to you by HopePHL, has developed a list of recommendations for consideration by the candidates for Mayor of Philadelphia. For more information about the Family Service Provider Network, email [email protected]

Enhancing Early Learning Opportunities for Young Children Experiencing Homelessness in PA

2/7/2023

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Young children experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of poor health and academic outcomes, and the experience of homelessness can disrupt a child’s development, resulting in persistent developmental delays. This report summarizes activities under the direction of the Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office (PA HSSCO), to better understand the involvement of young children experiencing homelessness in early learning programs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is brought to you by the PA HSSCO and HopePHL in collaboration with Grace Whitney, PhD, MPA, IMHE(r).

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