Lawmakers urging extension of federal program for unhoused students

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) are pushing to extend a COVID-era federal education program aimed at supporting school efforts to address the specific needs of students experiencing homelessness.

In a joint letter, the two lawmakers implored House appropriators for the continuation of the $800 million program, established through the American Rescue Plan of 2021, through the next school year as part of the Education Department’s spending bill.

Education is one of the six remaining spending bills for federal agencies that congressional leaders need to pass before March 22 to prevent a government shutdown.

Currently, state education officials and schools have until the end of September to use the remainder of the program’s money, known as ARP-HCY funds — a deadline that some school districts across the country say they may not be able to meet due to issues with its roll out.

$13.5M secured for these San Diego projects in appropriations package

By pushing the obligation deadline back by a year, Jacobs and Bacon say it will give schools more time to strategize the best way to use their grant to meet the needs of their unhoused students.

“We recognize that difficult decisions will have to be made in regard to budget, and we respect your due diligence. Our ask is clear and it does not cost anything,” the two wrote in their letter. “We urge you to include a one-year extension of the obligation deadline for ARP-HCY funds in the current FY 2024 budget.”

According to Jacobs’ office, the program was first proposed as an amendment to the American Rescue Plan, following studies that found unhoused students experiencing higher rates of learning loss due to COVID-era school closures.

Before the pandemic, students experiencing homelessness already experienced significant barriers to education, such as chronic absenteeism or issues enrolling in school without a permanent address.

ARP-HCY funds stepped in to address these disparities, providing schools a unique and flexible tool to support the needs of unhoused students — everything from supplies and cell phones to transportation and short-term hotel vouchers for families.

Yet there remained significant issues that curbed districts’ ability to take full advance of the funds.

Administrative restrictions, lack of staff capacity and high rates of personnel turnover posed challenges for some districts towards using their ARP-HCY funds, Jacobs’ office said.

Delays in federal guidance also slowed some districts in using their ARP-HCY funds: It was not until September 2023 — a year before the spending deadline — that the Department of Education issued recommendations about how the money can be used.

Given these hurdles, nearly a quarter of school district homeless liaisons across the country indicated in a a recent survey by nonprofit SchoolHouse Connection that they would not be able to use all of their ARP-HCY funds by the Sept. 30 deadline. While another 25% of liaisons said they still did not know if their school even received any funds from the program.

Since then, however, the number of children experiencing homelessness has only grown, complicating educators’ efforts to improve educational outcomes for these students.

San Diego Unified votes to approve job cuts to close nearly $94M deficit

“ARP-HCY funds have been transformative in the lives of children, youth, and families that have experienced homelessness,” Jacobs and Bacon wrote in the letter. “With the obligation deadline looming just months from now, schools are running out of time to thoughtfully and effectively use ARP-HCY funds, despite unprecedented homelessness.”

Lawmakers are still in the process of negotiating the remaining six appropriations bills before Congress. The first package was sent to President Joe Biden’s desk Friday night — hours before a partial government shutdown.

The second package faces an uphill battle in negotiations, given contentious issues like how to fund the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security that may be even more difficult to reach a bipartisan agreement on.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.