Bridging the Gap Initiative and the Gaps That Remain

• In Event: Homeless Students in New York City and Collaboration in Schooling Policy Reform

Abstract

Objective
This session details a new initiative to provide Social Workers to schools with high numbers of homeless students. It explores the key challenges Social Workers encountered during their first year of placement, particularly in navigating the dual contexts of school and shelter in supporting homeless children and their families. A limited scholarly discussion of Social Workers’ responsibilities with homeless students has focused on service provisions (Markward and Bios, 2001). This session expands our understandings of the larger web of Social Worker responsibilities by placing them in the larger school and shelter system contexts.

Framework
Students experiencing homelessness are among our most vulnerable; they must overcome numerous obstacles daily to get to school, focus, and complete homework assignments. They may struggle with adjusting or assimilating into the school community, and are likely to face great adversity and trauma in their home life. In addition to providing direct services, Social Workers serve as advocates for homeless children and their families, and as such they need to connect with community organizations and agencies on behalf of children (Jozefowicz-Simbeni & Israel, 2006). This session focuses on the successes and difficulties involved in Social Work across school and shelters.

In school year 2016-2017, thirty-two schools were provided with a full-time Social Worker. Schools were selected if they served more than 50 students in shelters and did not already have a Social Worker or Guidance Counselor on staff. Social Workers were individually matched to schools, and provided with monthly professional development training on understanding their work within the school setting and the larger school system, as well as in relation to the Department of Homeless Services and local shelters.

Results
Challenges identified by Social Workers were identified by evaluation-based interviews within the context of two-day professional development session to understand what works better in supporting Social Workers. Interviews (N=30) were conducted by a professional development facilitator with a background in evaluation. Challenges fell into four broad themes: high stress among all stakeholders (including students and their families, school staff, shelter staff, and the Social Workers themselves); troubles with interpersonal communication and interaction among aforementioned stakeholders; divergent expectations for adult responses to student behavior; and the difficulties involved in building a culture of trauma sensitivity. Challenges identified by program design staff included how to provide Social Workers support in the complex work of operating in the school setting and with shelters. Social Workers reported they did not have enough time in the week to connect with both school and shelter staff. Principals did not always buy in to the importance of their spending time at the shelter. Shelters themselves can also serve as a barrier; with limited staffing, staff cannot always follow through with meetings with Social Workers, or with reinforcing work that Social Workers are doing at the school. It is often perceived that the shelter system’s priority is not education.

Author

• Katherine Marshall Polite, NYC Department of Education