The PennZone

Governor Tom Wolf today announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will release more than $24 million to identify homeless children and youth, provide wraparound services due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and make it easier for students to participate in in-person instruction and extracurricular activities at school.

"Since taking office, my administration has been committed to supporting all of Pennsylvania's students–from pre-K to postsecondary–particularly our most vulnerable students, like those experiencing homelessness," said Gov. Wolf. "Our commonwealth has a world-class education system, and this funding will ensure that all students are able to access and benefit from our schools, educators, and extracurricular activities."

The Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) funding is a subset of the federal American Rescue Plan Act Emergency and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) program.

More on The PennZone

• Lineus Medical Receives Patent for SafeBreak® Vascular Generation 2
• Escajeda Masonry & Concrete Among Pittsburgh's Fastest-Growing Companies
• IDI Consulting Spreads Holiday Cheer to Families in Need with 11th Annual Toys for Tots Drive
• New 2025–2026 Energy Rebates: Squeaks Services Explains How to Qualify
• CCHR's New Documentary Prescription for Violence Highlights Overlooked Safety Warnings

The ARP-HCY fund will allocate 25 percent of the funding to the state's eight McKinney-Vento funded regional offices and the remaining 75 percent will be distributed to school districts and charter schools based on the amount of Title I Part A schools received under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act and the number of identified homeless children and youth served during the 2018-219 school year.

Applications and allocations for school districts and charters schools can be found on the PDE Homeless Education website.

"All students should have access to a high-quality education regardless of their background, economic circumstances, or housing arrangement, and homeless students need intentional, strategic support," said Education Secretary Dr. Noe Ortega. "This critical funding will help students experiencing homelessness access the resources and assistance they need to be a part of their school community, learn, grow, and thrive."

More on The PennZone

• Light Her Way Launches New Cohort of Board of AdviseHERS to Prepare Women for Board-Ready Leadership
• Men's Health Network Announces a New Feature to Support the Well-Being of Men When and Where They Are through Text Alerts
• Comp-U-Floor Unveils Powerful New Commercial Module
• Revenue Optics Announces the Appointment of Sonal Chowdhury as Senior Manager – Strategic Operations
• How California Convinces Buyers Not to Purchase New Cars — and How This Hurts Dealers

For the 2019-20 program year, education and community agencies identified 37,930 children and youth experiencing homelessness served by Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) Program. The population includes children under the age of five and youth enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12.

Students and families experiencing homelessness can access resources on the PDE website.

Additional information will be forthcoming from PDE's Division of Student Services, Office of the State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

SHARE Email Facebook Twitter

Filed Under: Government, State

---

Show All News | Report Violation