Grand Island schools report 348 students identified as housing-unstable under McKinney-Vento

Grand Island Public Schools staff reported to the board that 348 unique students were identified as experiencing housing instability under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act during the 2021–22 (district-cited) data window and described the district’s Families in Transition (FIT) identification and support process.

Christine Ostermeyer, the district’s FIT coordinator, told trustees that of those 348 students, 81 percent were “doubled up” with family or friends, 27 had resided in a shelter program and 45 did not live with a legal guardian. She said the district’s identification and support work includes training for all staff, case coordination by social workers and counselors, family input to determine educational best interest and, where appropriate, transportation to school.

Ostermeyer explained the school-specific reporting caveat: counts reflect unique students identified over a period and do not necessarily indicate the current number in a given school. “These numbers might mean that students have came and gone,” she said, adding that site counts may represent students who later moved to another building or left the district.

Ostermeyer summarized statewide and local context for housing instability: near 1 in 10 Nebraska students experienced unstable housing in the cited year; unaccompanied youth made up about 11 percent of students identified under McKinney-Vento; Hall County’s poverty estimate was cited at about 13 percent. She described how the McKinney-Vento definition used by schools differs from HUD definitions, and noted that roughly 1 in 4 homeless students were also enrolled in English language services.

District data points Ostermeyer provided to trustees included: 65 percent of FIT students receive English learner services; 8 percent have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); 58 percent of students in FIT had zero discipline referrals; and 74 percent was cited as last year’s free-and-reduced (or direct certification) figure tied to CEP participation and direct certification sources (SNAP, Medicaid, foster care).

When asked by board member Mr. Parsons about the program’s biggest barrier, Ostermeyer said: “Access to affordable housing. That would be the biggest — by far the biggest barrier,” and she noted restrictions such as occupancy limits that can prevent larger families from qualifying for certain housing supports.

Ostermeyer said the program goals are to educate staff to identify and support students, to reduce stigma around housing insecurity and mental health, and to grow capacity through partnerships with nonprofits, businesses and community organizations. She invited organizations that want to help to contact her directly.