American Rescue Plan - Homeless Children and Youth Funds

Overview

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), a COVID-19 relief act passed by Congress in 2021, provided Wisconsin with $10,097,813 in funding specifically dedicated to support the identification, enrollment, and school participation of children and youth experiencing homelessness, including through wrap-around services. This funding is referred to as American Rescue Plan - Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY). The funding is split into two tranches - ARP-HCY Part I (25% of the allocation) and Part II (75% of the allocation). 75% of the total allocation is distributed to Wisconsin local education agencies (LEAs). ARP-HCY funds are intended to support the specific and urgent needs of homeless children and youth due to the extraordinary impact of the pandemic on students experiencing homelessness, including academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs due to decreased enrollment in school, interrupted classroom instruction, and challenges navigating services for shelter/housing, clothing and school supplies, food, and child care.

DPI distributed $1,892,430 in ARP-HCY Part I funding to 49 LEAs around Wisconsin in August 2021. Open this document for a full list of LEAs awarded with ARP-HCY Part I funds 
DPI distributed $5,680,929 in ARP-HCY Part II funding, which is determined on a formula basis, to LEAs in February 2022. 

 
DPI ARP-Homeless Children and Youth Frequently Asked Questions
Reference this FAQ document for information on ARP-HCY topics such as: fiscal and data requirements, consortia, allowability for specific costs, and more. The FAQ will be updated occasionally to reflect further guidance as it becomes available. 

ARP-HCY Part II Formula Grant

In February 2022 DPI released allocations for ARP-HCY Part II in WISEgrants. Allocations are determined by a formula set forth by the United States Department of Education (USDE) based equally on the proportional share of an LEA's allocation under Title I-A for 2020-21, and the LEA's proportional share of the number of homeless children and youth identified by each LEA relative to all LEAs in the State, using the greater of the certified number of homeless children and youth in either the 2018-19 or 2019-20 school year in each LEA. ARP-HCY Part II grant funds are available from April 23, 2021 to September 30, 2024.

ARP-HCY Part II Grant Guidelines
ARP-HCY Part II Grant Allocations

Consortium Information:
According to the American Rescue Plan Act, an LEA must have a minimum allocation of $5,000 to receive an ARP-HCY Part II subgrant. LEAs with an allocation less than $5,000 are strongly encouraged to apply as part of a consortium to receive a subgrant. Consortia are eligible to receive a subgrant if the total of their combined allocations is at least $5,000. DPI will provide technical assistance to LEAs joining or forming consortia. Please refer to this document for information on the responsibilities of consortium leaders and members. The document also contains a sample Memorandum of Understanding. CESAs will also be ARP-HCY consortium leaders. Please follow this link to see contact information for ARP-HCY consortium at each CESA.

Allowable Expenses:
ARP-HCY grant funds may only be used for the 16 activities authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11433(d)). Grant funds must be used in such a manner as to provide services to all identified children and youth experiencing homelessness. Overall, costs must be “reasonable and necessary” and align with the purpose of, and other requirements in, the statute. LEAs also should consider the extraordinary impact of the pandemic on students experiencing homelessness when making decisions about how to use funds. Please click to open this document for more details on allowable costs.

DPI held an informational webinar on the use of ARP-HCY Part II funds on December 15, 2021. Please click here to view the presentation slides and follow this link to view a recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxTZoD6q13Q. 

Please see the DPI ARP-Homeless Children and Youth Frequently Asked Questions document for more details on allowable costs.
Gift Card Allowability and Procedures - please see this document if an LEA wants to use ARP-HCY funds to purchase gift cards.

Preliminary Allocations and Initial Funding Selection Survey:
On October 8, 2021 a survey was sent to districts with preliminary allocations with funding options for each district. Survey results help inform DPI on final ARP-HCY Part II allocation amounts. Please view this document for the information included in the survey: ARP-HCY Part II Initial Funding Selection Survey Text
View the list of ARP-HCY Part II Preliminary Allocations by clicking here.

ARP-HCY Part I Competitive Grant

DPI held a grant competition for American Rescue Plan Act-Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Part I funds in June 2021. The intent of the ARP-HCY grant is to distribute funds to LEAs with high numbers of students experiencing homelessness and high needs. Based on the higher number of students experiencing homelessness reported in the 2018-19 or 2019-20 certified data, LEAs with 100 or fewer students were eligible to apply for $30,000 and LEAs with over 100 students were eligible to apply for $50,000. Congratulations to the ARP-HCY competitive grant subrecipients:

Grant Documents

Grant Application; Grant Guidelines and Rubric
Certified Data Counts for 2018-19 and 2019-20
Information Session Presentation; Recording: https://youtu.be/DFQ7uMqCsyk 
Grant Announcement Memo

Resources

SchoolHouse Connection
https://schoolhouseconnection.org/arp-hcy/
Allowable and Strategic uses of ARP-HCY Funds - FAQ

USDE - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
OESE ARP-HCY site: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-elementary-secondary-school-emergency-relief-homeless-children-youth-arp-hcy/
OESE ARP-HCY Frequently Asked Questions: https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-elementary-secondary-school-emergency-relief-homeless-children-youth-arp-hcy/frequently-asked-arp-hcy-questions-and-answers/ 
April 23, 2021 Letter to Chief State School Officers: https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/04/ARP-Homeless-DCL-4.23.pdf