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About COHHIO Course to HOME

COHHIO Course to HOME was a partnership program with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) that ran from January 2022 through June 2024. DEW received federal formula allocated funds through the American Rescue Plan to provide increased support, and professional development opportunities to school districts and Educational Service Centers (ESCs) in meeting the need of the following vulnerable student populations experiencing homelessness:

  • rural children and youth
  • students of color
  • children and youth with disabilities
  • English learners
  • LGBTQ+ youth
  • students in foster care
  • justice-involved youth and
  • pregnant, parenting, or caregiving students

DEW teamed up with the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) to provide communities of practice and other professional development supports, called COHHIO Course to HOME. You can read more about the partnership by reviewing Ohio’s ARP-HCY state plan here. The purpose of COHHIO Course to HOME was to increase resources and coordinate intentional responses for districts in order to meet the need of vulnerable students experiencing homelessness.

Students and families may access the housing information line directly (not associated with COHHIO Course to HOME) here. Students and families seeking affordable housing are encouraged to explore Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Ohio Housing Locator which maintains a listing of available units throughout the state. Youth and young adults seeking answers related to housing are encouraged to visit COHHIO’s Youth Initiative here.

Community of Practice

COHHIO Course to HOME offered communities of practice to Ohio school districts and ESC’s. Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. The motivation for convening a community of practice at the most fundamental level, is a group of people coming together driven by a shared learning need, in this case student homelessness with an emphasis on vulnerable groups. By engaging each other, over time, in collective learning, we develop a bond that in turn fuels the production of resources to influence our own practices.

Ohio McKinney-Vento Community of Practice

The Ohio McKinney-Vento Community of Practice was a quarterly peer learning opportunity organized by sessions. The intended audience of the Ohio McKinney Vento Community of Practice was McKinney-Vento liaisons, ARP-HCY I sub-grantees, ARP-HCY II sub-grantees, McKinney-Vento sub-grantees, ESC Liaisons, and public-school staff striving to increase knowledge and response for students at-risk of or experiencing homelessness in an Ohio school district or region. All sessions were recorded and content is collected and made available below.

Materials

HomeRoom Network Community of Practice

The HomeRoom Network Community of Practice waas a bi-monthly interactive, workshopping experience organized by sessions. The intended audience of HomeRoom Network Community of Practice was ARP-HCY I sub-grantees, McKinney-Vento sub-grantees, and ESC liaisons striving to increase knowledge and response for students at-risk of or experiencing homelessness in an Ohio school district/region. All sessions were recorded and content is collected and made available here.

Materials

Listserv Messages

Newsletters

Contact

The Ohio McKinney-Vento Mailing List is an email listserv operated by the COHHIO Youth Housing Initiative for homeless education liaisons and other school personnel striving to increase knowledge and response around students experiencing homelessness. The listserv provides state level updates impacting youth homelessness-housing, resources, education, professional development opportunities, and more.

To join the listserv send an email to yhi@cohhio.org and request to be added. If you have information you’d like COHHIO to consider for sharing, send an email to yhi@cohhio.org and your information will be considered.

For more information, contact Special Projects Director Amanda Wilson or call us at 614.280.1984 ext. 143.

Resources for Districts

Red Tree House Community Resource Guide
Resource Directory User Guide and Referral Protocol
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce American Rescue Plan Homeless II Funds
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness with ESSER and ARP Funds
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Local School District Liaison Duties, Roles and Responsibilities
COHHIO Emergency Rental Assistance
COHHIO On-Demand Recorded Trainings
COHHIO Homeless System Resource Map
School House Connection
National Center for Homeless Education
Ohio Bridges Program
Child and Family Health Collaborative of Ohio
Ohio Reach
Ohio Domestic Violence Network
HUD Exchange Connecting Housing and Education
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
Health and Human Services Runaway and Homeless Youth
Hope in a Box
Family Acceptance Project