More than 55 million students are back in school this fall, according to the Department of Education; of those, nearly one million are without stable housing.  In response to increasing family and youth homelessness, the federal government is collaborating in an unprecedented way to meet the needs of this growing population through the strategies outlined in Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

With Recovery Act funding adding more homeless liaisons in school systems, Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) funding preventing and ending homelessness for families across the nation, and 6,000 housing and services vouchers included in the President's FY 2011 budget, this back-to-school season presents a new opportunity for crucial interventions that will prevent today's homeless kids from becoming tomorrow's homeless adults.

In Opening Doors, the Obama administration set a national goal to prevent and end homelessness among families, youth, and children in 10 years. The Plan outlines the following strategies to address family homelessness:

• Provide affordable housing
• Increase meaningful and sustainable employment
• Reduce financial vulnerability
• Transform homeless services to crisis response systems

In particular, the Plan focuses on supportive housing for families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.  Its signature initiative, included in the President's FY 2011 budget, calls for 6,000 supportive housing vouchers through a collaboration between the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education (ED).  While the initiative makes its way through Congressional budget review, HUD, HHS, and Education are moving forward with implementation planning.  With targeted Housing Choice vouchers through HUD, mainstream services like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) through HHS, and homeless student identification and service coordination by ED's homeless liaisons in school systems, this comprehensive initiative creates incentive that encourages interagency collaboration at both the federal and local levels to prevent and end homelessness for families.

Learn more about how Opening Doors addresses family homelessness.

Council Member Agency Spotlight: Department of Education

The Department of Education has been a USICH member since its inception in 1987.  Historically, activities related to homeless school children were relegated to the Department's McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program (EHCY) in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.  More recently, ED has begun to think broadly about the role of elementary and secondary schools in identifying and assisting homeless families.  In addition to EHCY, discussions on implementing Opening Doors now include the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and intra-agency outreach is engaging the Offices of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Vocational and Adult Education, and Postsecondary Education on Plan implementation.

The Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans has partnered with Give US Your Poor to target their 2011 college scholarships for homeless and formerly homeless students.  The 1,000 available scholarships include national scholarships of $20,000 each and state-specific scholarships of $2,500 and above.  Online applications are due by October 30, 2010.