House Liaison

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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.

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)

FAFSA Tips for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth