Homeless Education Program
International Charter Academy of Georgia (ICAGeorgia) provides The Homeless Education Program (HEP) to ensure access to a free, appropriate public education for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The Homeless Education Program operates in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, Title VII- B, reauthorized in 2015. The Homeless Liaison assists to assure identified homeless children and youth receive the following services:
- Timely Enrollment
- Education Related Support Services (ERSS)
- Transportation
- Community Resource Information
Definition of Homeless Youth
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless students as those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, which includes:
Children and youth who:
- are forced to share the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
- live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
- live in emergency or transitional shelters;
- are unsheltered, (Children and youth who live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations or similar settings).
Unaccompanied Youth are students who are not in the physical custody of a parent/guardian and are living in a homeless situation.
Homeless Liaison
The primary goal of the Homeless Liaison is to eliminate barriers to school enrollment and promote academic success for all students. The Homeless Liaison along with the school social workers serves as the link between families and community resources. The Homeless liaison is responsible for providing on-going training to families, schools, and community resources in an effort to promote awareness, education and most of all sensitivity to the needs of families/students experiencing homelessness.
Local Liaison: Felecia Jones (Phone: 770-604-0007)
Resources
The following resources are provided by National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE). For more information, please visit their website: https://nche.ed.gov/
Schedule A Tour
The best way to learn more about our school’s mission and immersion program is to see it in action for yourself. We invite you to schedule a tour and learn more about us.