HOUSE Liaison
What does the HOUSE Liaison do?
The HOUSE Liaison serves as a bridge between housing insecure or foster care students and campus resources, such as financial aid, student support, and residence life. Their role includes helping students apply for and receive federal and state financial aid and services, as well as providing information about available resources and services on campus, locally, statewide, and at the federal level.
Shawnee Community College's HOUSE Liaison is Donna Price, LSW.
You can reach her directly at (618) 634-3322 or via email at donnap@shawneecc.edu.
Resources for
Illinois Counties
Resources for
Kentucky Counties
Resources for
Missouri Counties
What is Homelessness?
- Sharing housing with others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
- Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations
- Staying in an emergency or transitional shelter
- Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, or similar settings
- Living in public or private places not designate for or normally used for humans to sleep
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that works to ensure educational stability for homeless young adults and allows homeless students to enroll in school. The college will work with parents, caregivers, and the student to confirm their living situation. Getting documentation from their high school, a letter from the shelter, motel, a relative, or social worker stating where the individual is staying.
The age limit of 21 is applied to secondary institutions and their obligation to provide services. It’s not applied to post-secondary institutions since they have not been required at the federal level to have a liaison.
This to say, McKinney-Vento doesn’t have an age cap once students finish high school. To those ends, the college adheres to the rules and regulations set for by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Applying for Title IV Aid
Starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA® form, applicants under the age of 24 will be presented with a single question to determine if they are a youth who is (1) unaccompanied and homeless or (2) unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at risk of becoming homeless. If they answer “Yes” to the homeless question, they will be asked if they have a documented determination from one of the eligible authorities listed below. Applicants who affirm they are an unaccompanied homeless youth will be able to submit their application as an independent student.
First-time applicants will need to follow up with their institution to submit documentation supporting their homeless determination. Renewal applicants who had their 2023-24 FAFSA® form processed as an independent student due to a homeless youth determination are eligible to have their status carried forward if their circumstances remain unchanged and they are enrolled at the same institution for 2024-25. Institutions will need to manually adjust 2024-25 FAFSA® forms for students in these situations.
(Source: fsaparternes.ed.gov)
School House Connection Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Sample to assist with registering as an unaccompanied homeless youth for FAFSA. Each College’s forms may look slightly different.
View Form
Federal Student Aid- Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Determination
This form clarifies and updates the roles and responsibilities of institutions and applicants concerning Title IV dependency determinations for unaccompanied homeless youth, as outlined in the FAFSA Simplification Act.
Resources
Carl S. Swisher Library Research Services
(Resources for Homeless Students: Illinois)
https://cookman.libguides.com/c.php?g=833954&p=6735589
Illinois Board of Higher Education Stay the Course
https://www.ibhe.org/stay-the-course.html
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
(Birth Certificate Request forms/State IDs)
https://www.chicagohomeless.org/birth-certificate-request-forms/
KHC Kentucky Housing Corporation
https://www.kyhousing.org/Programs/Pages/Scholar-House.aspx
Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless
https://sihomelesscoalition.org/
USPS (United States Postal Service) USPS.com
How to get a P.O. Box without a physical address.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Is-there-mail-service-for-the-homeless
The Office of the Illinois Secretary of State
State ID for the Homeless
https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers_license/drlicid.html