Photo credit: https://kresge.org/news/kresge-awards-550000-study-effectiveness-basic-needs-interventions-community-colleges

This resource was created with support from a Carnegie Whitney Grant from the American Library Association and is intended to assist students who are transitioning from high school to college and experiencing shelter and food insecurities. The resource may also prove helpful to runaways and unaccompanied minors, as well as teens and young adults who seek other necessities of life. Finally, it is hoped that school liaisons, SPOCs, counselors, directors of shelters and other programs will use and refer others to the resource.

Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

Single Point of Contact for Homeless Youth in Post-Secondary Education

Homeless youth and those at-risk for homelessness experience education settings in ways that are different from those of housed students, and face unique barriers to success.  At the K-12 level, these young people benefit from the assistance of a federally mandated McKinney-Vento Liaison who is responsible for coordinating a variety of support services for homeless students, ensuring that homeless youth are given the same opportunity to participate and succeed in school as children who are not homeless. As a result of this support, an increasing number of Massachusetts’ homeless youth are graduating from high school and enrolling in post-secondary institutions.

In order to offer homeless youth the necessary supports at the post-secondary level, many institutions have designated a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as the on-campus point person for addressing these students’ needs. The SPOC assists homeless youth during matriculation and throughout their post-secondary career, helping students access a broad range of services both on and off campus. The goal is to provide a continuum of support after homeless students transitioning from high school to post-secondary education.  Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinate communication and timely referrals among appropriate departments on campus and off-campus service providers, including but not limited to academic, social, financial, mental and physical health services. 

• Establish food, clothing, and school supply banks on campus. 

• Provide a list of campus and community-based resources such as food and clothing banks and low-cost healthcare providers. 

• Find or create housing options for homeless students when on campus housing is not available or residential programs close for breaks.

• Information from https://www.umb.edu/life_on_campus/uaccess/ma_network/spoc

Best Practices to Support Homeless and Foster Youth on College Campuses

• SPOC Webinar

College Directory - Single Point of Contact for Homeless/Transitional Students

• Connecticut 
• Florida [Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Boley Centers, Inc., is a private, not-for-profit organization serving individuals with mental disabilities, individuals who are homeless, Veterans and youth in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Sarasota Counties.]
• Massachusetts 
• Michigan
• North Carolina As of September 2019

Financial Resources & Support for Those Living in Their Vehicles

• MoneyGeek {This is not a referral for purchasing car insurance. This page highlights resources and support.)

Supported by a Carnegie Whitney Grant from the American Library Association.