Resources for Foster and Homeless Youth

Resources for Foster and Homeless Youth

In alignment with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, ISANA Academies want to ensure that all students – no matter their current housing situation – have equal access to the same free, appropriate, public education, including public preschool, provided to other children so they can learn, grow, and succeed at our schools and beyond. We also want to make sure that these students feel supported, are not stigmatized or discriminated, and have access to the resources they need to thrive physically, socially, and emotionally.

Below you will find a list of community resources that provide support to youth and families experiencing homelessness. Additionally, youth and families may request assistance from ISANA’s Director of Pupil Services, Rob J. Thrash IV, by contacting him at:

Phone: (323) 986-9805

Email: rthrash@isana.org

More information about McKinney-Vento can be found on the California Department of Education’s Homeless Education Page or by emailing the Homeless Education Team at HomelessEd@cde.ca.gov.

Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE)

Phone: (562) 922-6247

About: LACOE’s Homeless Children & Youth provides services and coordinates with the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which addresses the problems that homeless children and youth face in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school.

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)

Phone: 1-800-548-6047 – 24 Hour Hotline

About: LAHSA acts as a community action group which coordinates regional homeless planning and funding for Los Angeles County and City.

Our Community LA (OCLA)

About: Our Children LA’s WIN App for Homeless Youth is a free mobile and web app designed to connect homeless or resource insecure youth, ages 12-25 to essential services, without a referral.

National Coalition for the Homeless

About: If you are not homeless yet, it may be possible to avoid becoming homeless by finding out about prevention or emergency assistance programs in your area. These programs may be able to help in paying rent, utilities, or bills. If you are homeless now, emergency assistance programs may help with health care, food, and temporary, transitional, or permanent housing.

A Safe Place for Youth (S.P.Y.)

Phone: (310) 902-2283

About: The mission of Safe Place for Youth is to inspire, nurture, and empower the resilient human spirit of homeless youth by providing immediate and lasting solutions, one young person at a time. They provide a continuum of care that includes street outreach and engagement, drop-in services, case management, health and wellness and education and employment programs.

Jovenes

Phone: (323) 260-8035

About: Jovenes helps youth, ages 18-25, end their cycle of homelessness. They are located in Boyle Heights and serve communities throughout Southeast LA County. 

Covenant House

Phone: (323) 461-3131

About: Covenant House provides transitional housing and crisis counseling for youth. They help young people transform their lives and put them on a path to independence.

What is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act?

​The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness.

The term homeless children and youth mean individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

  • Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
  • Children who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters, or awaiting foster care placement;
  • Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
  • Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.
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