Education Stimulus Funding & Students Experiencing Homelessness

How much is my district or charter school getting in federal education-related stimulus funding?

• ESSER 1 & GEER 1: $1.2 billion is available as part of the CARES Act. NYSED Memos and allocations are available here.

• ESSER 2 & GEER 2: $4 billion is available as a part of the CRRSA Act. NYSED Memos and allocations are available here.

• ARP-ESSER funding: $8.7 billion is available as a part of ARP. NYSED Memo and allocations are available here.

• ARP-Homeless I & II: $58.8 million is available as a part of ARP specifically to meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness. More information will be forthcoming from the New York State Education Department.

What are some potential uses of this funding that support students experiencing homelessness?

• Any of the 16 uses permitted by the McKinney-Vento Act

• Services and interventions specifically tailored to meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness including:

  • Outreach and service delivery;

  • Mental health services and positive behavioral interventions and supports; and

  • Planning and implementing summer learning and after-school programs addressing the needs of students experiencing homelessness.

• To ensure that all students experiencing homelessness are identified and fully participate in school on the same basis as their peers, use funds to:

  • Increase the FTE hours of the McKinney-Vento liaison;

  • Assign building-level contacts (particularly in highly impacted schools);

  • Increase specialized support staffing, such as counselors, social workers, and others who are specifically trained in outreach and services for students experiencing homelessness; and

  • Provide transportation services to ensure access to after-school or summer learning and enrichment programs.

• For ARP-Homeless funds, specifically:

  • Contracts with community-based organizations to improve outreach initiatives or provide wrap-around supports

  • Options to cover costs of short-term temporary housing like hotel rooms for families experiencing homelessness

  • Pre-paid debit or gift cards

  • Pre-paid cell phones or technology

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Tell me more about the various education-related stimulus funding streams! Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds are the two primary types of stimulus funding. There are also American Rescue Plan Homeless (ARP-Homeless) funds.

ESSER GEER Other Guidance

CARES ESSER 1 GEER 1 n/a > US DOE: New! FAQ about ESSER and GEER (ESSER I, ESSER II, ARP ESSER, GEER I,

GEER II)

CRRSA ESSER 2 GEER 2 n/a US DOE New! FAQ about ESSER and GEER

Coronavirus Aid (ESSER I, ESSER II, ARP ESSER, GEER I,

Relief, and GEER II) Economic Security Act SchoolHouse Connection How to Make "ESSER II

ARP American ARP- n/a ARP- US DOE New! FAQ about ARP-Homeless