McKinney-Vento liaison outlines homelessness supports; district reports counts and planned grant application

District staff presented an update March 4 on how Petersburg identifies and supports students experiencing housing instability under the McKinney-Vento law and described recent local counts and community partnerships.

Mister Costello (director of special education, substituting) and Anjaneese Flowers (division McKinney-Vento liaison) walked the board through six steps: identification at registration, eligibility screening, data entry in PowerSchool, setting up transportation, providing immediate tangible supports (food, clothing, hygiene supplies), and ongoing academic and attendance monitoring.

Flowers outlined local supports and partnerships, including temporary housing assistance coordinated with People's Advantage programs and an "Amazon room" (clothing/resource closet) that staff are working to restore. She said the district transported families in emergencies, bagged nonperishable food during a winter storm and leveraged Title I funds and community donations to help families. "We had individual donors and the department of social services support temporary housing and gift cards for approximately 10 families," Flowers said.

Staff reported district counts for students experiencing housing instability: 67 students living in hotels (38 at the elementary level, plus students at Blanford and Vernon Johns), 184 students who are "doubled up" with other families across the district, and 84 McKinney-Vento students at the high school level. Flowers said identified students receive transportation every school day and that the liaison role includes monitoring attendance and coordinating referrals.

Flowers also outlined next steps: applying for a McKinney-Vento grant later in the month, producing a district manual documenting processes, strengthening the Amazon-room clothing closet and hosting a housing and community resource fair April 9 at the Petersburg Library with daytime and evening sessions for families.

The board asked questions about caseloads and resource access; Flowers said she is a one-person team for monitoring and uses a resource list and family engagement network to connect students with supports. Board members thanked Flowers and staff for the work and welcomed the planned manual and grant application.