The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is releasing $2 million through the Education for Homeless Children Act grant, with funds going directly to school districts. Districts should be able to locate the opportunity in IWAS, and allocations are based on each district's SIS homeless student counts.
Please note that this funding is completely separate from the McKinney-Vento grants administered through the ROEs. Unlike the federal McKinney-Vento grant, these state funds are much less restrictive and may be used for a wider range of supports, including hotel stays, rent assistance, and other housing-related needs for students experiencing homelessness.
Smaller districts also have the option to pool their allocations and form a consortium, similar to the consortium model used during the ARP II grant several years ago.
Additionally, ISBE is making available $100,000 in scholarship funding, providing $3,000 scholarships for district homeless liaisons and related staff to attend the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) Conference in Nashville this fall. This will be coming out from ISBE soon.
If you have questions regarding eligibility, allowable expenses, the application process, or consortium arrangements, contact ISBE directly at [email protected], as the ROE does not have any role in administering this grant.