FY2019: McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant

Fund Code: 310

Purpose:

The purpose of these competitive federal funds is to provide funding for programs that ensure homeless students enroll in school, attend school, and have the opportunity to succeed in school through the following grant program purposes:

1. Support Services: to address the basic and ongoing needs of homeless students;

2. School-Housing Partnership: to stabilize and re-house homeless families with school age children or unaccompanied homeless youth by partnering with a homeless/housing services provider; and/or

3. Regional Homeless Education Liaisons: to form a network of experienced homeless liaisons that provides technical assistance, training and mentoring to other districts in collaboration with the state coordinator of homeless education and other Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) staff.

Priorities:

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act prioritizes funds to support the education of homeless students through high quality programming in any or all of the following:

1. programming designed to raise awareness throughout the district and community;
2. tutoring, supplemental instruction, and other educational services that help homeless students close achievement gaps;
3. providing developmentally appropriate early childhood education programs, not otherwise provided through federal, state, or local funding for homeless preschool children;
4. providing services and assistance to attract, engage, and retain homeless students, particularly those that are not enrolled in school, in public school programs and services provided to housed students;
5. before- and after-school programs, mentoring, summer programs for homeless children and youth, and services/assistance to attract, engage, and retain homeless students in these programs;
6. collaborating with external agencies to provide homeless students and families with medical, dental, mental health, and other community and state services;
7. providing for the meaningful involvement of homeless parents/guardians in their student's education;
8. providing violence prevention counseling, referrals to counseling and/or address the needs of homeless students who are domestic violence survivors;
9. providing supplies to non-school facilities and adapting these facilities to enable them to provide services; and
10. providing extraordinary or emergency services to eligible students as necessary to enroll and retain them in school.

Eligibility:

Based on the number of homeless students identified as of March 1, 2018 districts with fifty (50) or more enrolled homeless students.

Two or more districts with a combined total of fifty (50) or more enrolled homeless students may apply as a consortium.

Applicant districts must include collaboration with community-based organizations through a local Homeless Education Service Coordination Committee or other established local committee or council addressing homelessness.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA 84.196

Funding:

Approximately $800,000 is available.

Using homeless student enrollment data submitted to DESE as of March 1, 2018 districts/consortia should submit applications based on the following funding levels for each grant purpose:

1. Support Services:
   
   $30,000: 500 or more enrolled homeless students
   $20,000: 300 or more enrolled homeless students
   $10,000: 50 or more enrolled homeless students
   
   
2. School-Housing Partnership: (Up to two awards will be made)
   
   The following districts with at least 7% of their students experiencing homelessness are eligible to apply for up to $75,000 per year:
   Holyoke, Leominster, New Bedford, Orange, Triton, Worcester
   
   
3. Regional Homeless Education Liaisons: (Approximately 8 awards will be made)
   
   Districts that have a homeless education liaison/coordinator with more than three years of experience and the ability to commit 0.2 FTE (8 to 10 hours per week) may apply for $15,000 per year.

DESE reserves the right to alter the award to each funded district.

Subject to budget appropriation, funded applicants will be eligible for a total of three-years of funding under this grant (Fiscal Year 2018-2019 [FY19] – FY21). Fluctuations in homeless populations may necessitate a review of funding amounts in continuation years.

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding is to become available it will be distributed under the same guideline as listed in the initial RFP document.

Fund Use:

Programs can either expand or improve services provided through a school's general academic program but cannot replace that program (supplement not supplant). To the extent practicable, activities and services are to integrate homeless and non-homeless students.

Districts may provide services through programs on school grounds, at other facilities, or may use funds to enter into contracts with other agencies to provide services for homeless children and youth. McKinney-Vento funds may provide the same services to housed students to ensure that program activities integrate homeless and non-homeless students.

Grant funds cannot be used to pay for the district's Homeless Education Liaison, a position required in all school districts unless the liaison has responsibilities in the district beyond those required by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Grant funds cannot be used for food or to support rent for families.

Grant funds cannot be used for transportation costs that are required by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Other transportation costs may not exceed 10% of the grant.

Project Duration:

Upon approval (no earlier than 8/1/2018) – 8/31/2019

Program Unit:

Student and Family Support

Contact:

Sarah Slautterback

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6330

Date Due:

Friday, June 1, 2018

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

Required Forms:

Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

Part II — Budget Detail Pages (Include both pages.)

Part III — Required Program Information

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Activity Form

McKinney-Vento Budget Narrative

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant Assurances

Memorandum of Understanding for the Service Coordination Committee — (with signatures, to be developed by the applicant)

Memorandum of Understanding for the School-Housing Partnership — (with signatures, to be developed by the applicant)

Schedule A (for districts applying as a consortium)

Additional Information:

1. For applicants interested in C: Regional Homeless Education Liaisons grant sub-category, please see the McKinney-Vento Regional Homeless Education Liaison Job Description for duties of the Regional Liaison position.

2. Key Grant Requirements
   Funded applicants will:
   
   • convene a local Homeless Education Services Coordination Committee or actively participate in an established local committee/council designed to assess the needs and assist in the provision of services to the homeless student population in the district;
   • attend grantee meetings twice a year; and
   • provide an end-of-year report.

Submission Instructions:

Email one (1) complete set of all required documents to achievement@mass.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 1, 2018.

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and Required Forms in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.

Last Updated: April 18, 2018