In recognition of the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students experiencing homelessness, the ARP included an unprecedented $800 million to support the specific needs of homeless children and youth via the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund.

Teacher and student reading


ARP-HCY I

Grant Purpose

On Thursday, March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) into law. In recognition of the extraordinary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students experiencing homelessness, the ARP included an unprecedented $800 million to support the specific needs of homeless children and youth via the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund. State educational agencies and local educational agencies (LEAs) must use ARP-HCY funds to identify homeless children and youth, to provide homeless children and youth with wrap-around services to address the challenges of COVID-19, and to enable homeless children and youth to attend school and fully participate in school activities. The Department will release ARP-HCY funds in two separate disbursements (ARP Homeless I and ARP Homeless II)

Grant Eligibility

The OPI’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program has received the first round of American Recovery Plan – Education for Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-EHCY) funds from the U.S. Department of Education. Per federal guidance we are providing these funds to current recipients of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education grant and to districts that have been identified as having “significant concentrations” of students experiencing homelessness. Allocations were calculated using the most recent verified snapshot of student data taken during the Spring Testing Snapshot count from April 26,2021. Allocations are based on a per-pupil amount. Each eligible district’s allocation can be found in the chart below.

District

ARP-EHCY I Allocation

Belgrade

$7,588

Billings

$47,888

Bozeman

$12,268

Browning

$28,128

Butte

$17,078

Columbia Falls

$16,428

Great Falls

$67,648

Hardin

$25,268

Hays-Lodgepole

$12,398

Helena

$30,078

Kalispell/Evergreen

$38,268

Lame Deer

$32,548

Lodge Grass

$28,128

Missoula

$49,448

Poplar

$23,708

Ronan

$17,988

St. Ignatius

$14,348

Totals

$469,206

Grant Overview/Requirements

Program: 

ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund

 

Purpose: 

ARP-HCY funds are intended to support the specific and urgent needs of homeless children and youth in recognition of the extraordinary impact of the pandemic on students experiencing homelessness. LEAs should use these funds to focus on identifying students and to connect students experiencing homelessness and their families to summer learning and enrichment programs this summer (summer 2021), and to engage students and their families in preparation for this fall. LEAs with sufficient funds are encouraged to award contracts to community-based organizations for help to identify historically underserved populations such as rural children and youth, Tribal children and youth, students of color, children and youth with disabilities, English learners, LGBTQ+ youth, and pregnant, parenting, or caregiving students experiencing homelessness, as well as to provide wraparound services to these students.

 

Funding Period: 

The grant period shall be for two years. The full amount of the grant will be awarded in the first year. Grantees may choose to expend all their funds during the 21-22 school year or may elect to carryover a portion of their funding to provide services into the 22-23 school year. All funds must be obligated by September 30, 2023.

 

Minimum Requirements: 

Grantees for the ARP-HCY I funds must be current McKinney-Vento subgrantees or must be a district identified by the OPI has having a “significant concentration” of students identified as experiencing homelessness. Such districts must have identified such students in an amount that is greater than, or equal to, the lowest number of students identified by a McKinney-Vento subgrantee recipient. 

 

Reporting Requirements: 

All students identified as homeless by the grantee must be marked in the Achievement in Montana (AIM) System. This identification includes their nighttime status and whether they are an unaccompanied youth (not in the custody of a parent or legal guardian). All additional reporting requirements will be pulled from the AIM system by OPI HCY program staff or the federal programs data analyst. Grantees may be required to report additional information at the request of the U.S. Department of Education. 

 

Availability of Funds: 

ARP-HCY I funds were made available as of March 2021, and subgrantees may use these funds to cover allowable expenditures as of that date. ARP-HCY I funds have been made available through a one-time-only grant under the American Recovery Plan. Eligibility for these funds is not a guarantee of future funding under the McKinney-Vento Act or other similar appropriations for programs that support the education of homeless children and youth. The minimum amount of any award shall not be less than $5,000, and a minimum of 13 projects will be awarded. 

ARP-HCY I funds are to be used to supplement, not supplant, existing services and programs provided by the applicants or otherwise available to targeted individuals. Services provided to students identified as homeless must be in addition to services provided to all students using local, state, tribal, or federal funds.

 

Uses of ARP-HCY I Funds:

LEAs may use ARP-HCY I Funds to: 

  1. Identify homeless children and youth 
  2. Provide comprehensive wraparound services in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic 
  3. Provide needed assistance to enable homeless children and youth to attend and participate fully in school activities, such as: 
    1. In-person instruction 
    2. Spring and summer learning 
    3. Enrichment programs

Resources

ARP-HCY II

 

Questions? Contact Serena Wright, 406-444-2036

 

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