Collaboration

NCHE Resources

A Guide to Effective Collaborations with Community-Based Organizations to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness

This NCHE report is designed for State Coordinators for Homeless Education and local homeless education liaisons as well as community-based organizations that work with youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. The report highlights how collaborating, informally or formally (through contracts or other agreements), with community-based organizations can be an effective strategy for program implementation, describes effective strategies for collaborating with community-based organizations at the state and local levels and includes examples of collaborations between local education agencies and community-based organizations.
Go to A Guide to Effective Collaborations with Community Based Organizations to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness

Coordinated Entry Processes: Building Mutual Engagement between Schools and Continuums of Care
This brief, part of NCHE’s Best Practices in Interagency Collaboration series, is designed for educators and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care Program recipients. It provides a brief overview of HUD coordinated entry processes, and suggests strategies for building local coordinated entry engagement and collaboration between schools and CoCs.
Go to Coordinated Entry Processes: Building Mutual Engagement between Schools and Continuums of Care.
Housing and Education Collaborations to Serve Homeless Children, Youth, and Families *Updated October 2023*
The brief provides basic information to help homeless service providers and homeless education staff understand each other’s role in supporting children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, while offering tools to enhance collaboration among agencies.  
Go to Housing and Education Collaborations to Serve Homeless Children, Youth, and Families.
Housing and School Partnership on the Point-In-Time Count
This NCHE fact sheet, geared towards a school audience, provides information about the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual Point-In-Time (PIT) count, and suggests strategies for how schools can help ensure the most comprehensive and effective count of youth experiencing homelessness.
Go to Housing and School Partnership on the Point-In-Time Count.
Incorporating Education into Coordinated Community Responses to Youth and Young Adult Homelessness: Lessons from the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program

This NCHE program profile explores the role of education in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP); summarizes key education outcomes in, lessons learned in, and technical assistance provided to YHDP communities; and shares cross-system innovations and promising practices for preventing and ending youth and young adult homelessness in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Go to Incorporating Education into Coordinated Community Responses to Youth and Young Adult Homelessness: Lessons from the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program.

NW Michigan and the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project

This brief will identify strategies from the Northwest Michigan Youth Homelessness  Demonstration Program (YHDP) for integrating local educational agencies (LEAs) into their projects.
Go to NW Michigan and the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project.

Partnering to Support Educational Success for Runaway and Homeless Youth

This brief, part of NCHE’s Best Practices in Interagency Collaboration Series, is designed to provide an overview of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth and Runaway and Homeless Youth programs.  Additionally, the brief reviews McKinney-Vento Act and Runaway and Homeless Youth Act requirements related to cross-systems collaboration, noting cross-systems strategies that support the education of runaway and homeless youth.
Go to Partnering to Support Educational Success for Runaway and Homeless Youth.

Research Summary: Homelessness and Education Cross-System Collaboration – Applied Research Summary and Tools
This NCHE publication provides local homeless education liaisons and homeless service providers with a framework, strategies, and tools for more effective collaboration to improve the academic outcomes, well-being, and lifelong trajectory of young people who have experienced homelessness or trauma. The publication explores a framework for collaboration that accounts for stakeholders’ assumptions, vision, incentives, rules and regulations, organizational cultures, needs, and experiences; and includes resources and tools for practitioners to use in their efforts to collaborate more effectively.
Go to Homelessness and Education Cross-System Collaboration – A Literature Review and Tools.
Strengthening Partnerships Between Education and Housing Partners: Lessons from Providing Technical Assistance to the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Grantees, Rounds 1-7 (FY16-24)

This NCHE program profile explores the role of education in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) and summarizes key lessons learned through technical assistance provided to YHDP communities. Go to Strengthening Partnerships Between Education and Housing Partners: Lessons from Providing Technical Assistance to the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program Grantees, Rounds 1-7 (FY16-24)

Supporting In-School and Out-of-School Youth Experiencing Homelessness Through Education and Workforce Partnerships 
This brief, designed for education and employment services providers, provides a brief overview of education and workforce programs that may serve youth experiencing homelessness, and suggests strategies for cross-system collaboration to support these youth. Local program spotlights also are included.
Go to Supporting In-School and Out-of-School Youth Experiencing Homelessness Through Education and Workforce Partnerships.
Supporting School Success for Homeless Children of Veterans and Military Service Members
This brief, developed collaboratively by NCHE and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is designed for local VA staff, state McKinney-Vento coordinators and school district McKinney-Vento liaisons, educators, and other providers of services to active members of the military and veterans, and their children. It provides basic information to assist homeless children of veterans or active military to enroll in school and receive education and other services available to them.
Go to Supporting School Success for Homeless Children of Veterans and Military Service Members.
The Educational Rights of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness: What Service Providers Need to Know*updated Aug 2018*
This brief provides providers of services to homeless children and families with a summary of the main points of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Go to The Educational Rights of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness: What Service Providers Need to Know.
When Working Together Works: Interagency Collaboration between McKinney-Vento Programs and Homeless Service Providers *updated Aug 2018*
This brief, part of NCHE’s Best Practices in Interagency Collaboration series, is designed for SEA and LEA Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program administrators. It aims to help in understanding the requirements in the McKinney-Vento Act related to collaboration and learning practical strategies for effective collaborative efforts. It will also provide tips from EHCY State Coordinators and links to resources.
Go to When Working Together Works: Interagency Collaboration between McKinney-Vento Programs and Homeless Service Providers.
YHDP Round 1 Lessons Learned

This brief highlights recurring themes and challenges identified by Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Round 1 communities in building a true coordinated community response (with a particular focus on education partnerships) and recommended strategies for addressing these challenges.
Go to YHDP Round 1 Lessons Learned brief.

Other Resources

A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement
This review of the research examines the growing evidence that family and community connections with schools make a difference in student success. It is a synthesis of 51 studies about the impact of family and community involvement on student achievement, and effective strategies to connect schools, families, and community.
Download the research review.
Building Successful Collaborations: Ten Principles of Sustainable Partnerships
This brief from the National Center on Family Homelessness, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Zero to Three, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, provides service providers who are contemplating collaborations with important knowledge and tools needed to create robust, sustainable partnerships that benefit their communities as well as each participating agency. The ten principles outlined in the brief provide practical guideposts for organizations that are considering or planning collaborative partnerships. Further, organizations that have already embarked on this work, and have encountered one or more of the challenges described in the brief, may find the suggestions helpful.
Download Building Successful Collaborations: Ten Principles of Sustainable Partnerships.

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