Student Services
CMAVTS
Assistance and Homeless Students
CMAVTS Homeless Liaison: Amanda Flynn, LSW
Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program was established to make sure homeless youth have access to a free and appropriate public education while removing barriers that homeless children face. Its goal is to have the educational process continue as uninterrupted as possible while the children are in homeless situations. Some of the other main objectives of Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program are to inform local school districts of their responsibilities to homeless children and youth, to increase awareness about the needs of homeless children, explain current laws and policies, and provide practical tips for working with homeless children.
-PA Department of Education
On July 22, 1987, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act became public law. This was the first comprehensive federal law dealing with the problems of homelessness in America. Recently included in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, it is now called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001.
The Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program, authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act), is designed to address the needs of homeless children and youths and ensure educational rights and protections for these children and youths. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) amended the McKinney-Vento Act, and changes made by the ESSA will take effect on October 1, 2016.
The Luzerne Intermediate Unit #18 Homeless Children's Initiative Program is now known as Region 7 and services 17 counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The program goal is to ensure the consistency of education for homeless children, so that they may have the equal access to education that is provided to other children.
Region 7's initiatives have improved community awareness and homeless parent awareness of the rights and availability of services to the homeless. The program has addressed and will continue to address the barriers that affect homeless children and their parents and have made a concentrated effort to eliminate these barriers.
For additional information on services available in Region 7, please contact:
Luzerne Intermediate Unit #18
Jeff Zimmerman
Regional Site Coordinator
Telephone: 570-718-4613
Email: jzimmerman@liu18.org
For assistance with an issue related to the education of a child or youth experiencing homelessness, contact the NCHE homeless education helpline toll-free at (800) 308-2145 or homeless@serve.org.
The Hope Center
Medical supplies, household items, food.
Doreen's Closet at the Hope Center
650 Harter Avenue
Nescopeck, PA 18635
(570) 520-4033
Fax: (570) 520-4052
www.facebook.com/hopecenternescopeck
thehopecenterofnexcopeckpainc@gmail.com
Also offering: handy man (minor home repair for senior citizens), household essentials, used medical equipment, Nescopeck Area Community Cupboard.
The Gate House Shelter
1 Gate House Drive
Danville, PA 17821
(570) 275-6766
gatehouse5@verizon.net
www.facebook.com/thegatehousedanville
The Women's Center and Beyond Violence
Other Resources:
Transportation
Rabbit Transit (click here for application)
