Author: Beth Thrift

Every school district nationwide has homeless liaisons, the mostly unsung champions for students experiencing homelessness. North Carolina has a well-trained cadre of homeless liaisons serving students and their families. The video takes you across the state to see and hear the homeless liaisons in action.

Family and youth homelessness comes in many forms. Schools are the constant island of security. In this video courageous moms and youth share their stories with hopes that the viewers will learn more about the challenges of homelessness and the importance of school officials who help however possible.

On September 28, 2020, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced that it will provide additional benefits through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to help families purchase food for children whose access to free and reduced-price meals at school has been impacted by remote learning this fall due to COVID-19. The program provides a benefit on an EBT card that can be used to buy food at authorized retailers, including most major grocery stores.

In the P-EBT program this fall, children are eligible if they had access to free or reduced-priced meals at school last year, their school district or charter school is eligible to provide free or reduce-priced meals at school this year, and their school district or charter school utilized remote learning for all students for at least five consecutive school days between August 17th and September 30th.

This is different than the eligibility criteria for P-EBT benefits in the spring, which was available to all children who normally access free or reduced-priced meals, regardless of school circumstance. The new eligibility criteria are based on requirements from the US Department of Agriculture. To find out whether a school district or charter school is receiving fall P-EBT benefits, view the list here.

More information about the P-EBT program can be found at www.ncdhhs.gov/PEBT.

Find more resources to help families impacted by COVID-19.

Beth Branagan, Homeless Liaison for Transylvania County Schools and NCHEP’s 2019 Homeless Liaison of the Year, served as one of three guest speakers in a collaborative webinar hosted by the NC Department of Public Instruction Office of Early Learning, including Title 1 Preschool and the Head Start Collaboration Office, and NCHEP which focused on sharing best practices for coordinating services for student and families who experience homelessness. The new NC Early Learning Coordination Guidance document was released during the webinar and best practices were shared not only by Ms. Branagan, but also by staff from Telamon.

Visit the Supporting Early Childhood web page for additional resources.

• Call toll-free 1.866.3Hungry (1.866.348.6479) or 1.877.8Hambre (1.877.842.6273),
• Text “FoodNC” to 877-877 for information in English or “COMIDA” to 877-877 for information in Spanish.
• Use the No Kid Hungry North Carolina mapping tool.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the NC Child Care Resource and Referral system have established a hotline to assist parents in obtaining referrals to licensed childcare programs for school-age children.

          1-888-600-1685
          Representatives available:  8:00 am – 5:00 pm EST

Care options are also available for children from infants through age 12.  Further details are available from these fliers available in both English and Spanish.

Dr. Johnnye Waller, Student Services Director and Homeless Liaison for Lee County Schools, was recently recognized by Education Week as one of their 2020 Leaders to Learn From.
Dr. Waller was recognized for her dedication in supporting students experiencing homelessness through their annual summer program, Project Lift-Off, which has grown over the years.

Dr. Waller’s work was not only highlighted in the award recognition article, “Creating a Foothold for the Most Vulnerable Students” but also in the video clip, “Helping Put Homeless Students on Solid Footing” featured in the May 12, 2020, online edition of Education Week.

Beth Branagan, School Social Worker and Homeless Liaison for Transylvania County Schools was recently named the NC 2019 Liaison of the Year. The announcement was made November 4th at the State meeting held at the 2019 National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) Conference in Washington, DC.

Ms. Branagan was selected for her endless dedication and commitment to serving one of our most vulnerable populations of students, as well as, for her passion for education and her mission for the overall success of students in schools. 

Ms. Branagan has been highlighted in her local school district for her work on multiple occasions. Read two articles in the Transylvania Times:

• Number of Homeless Depends on Definition (March 2020)
• TCS YES radio broadcast (November 2019)
• Branagan Wins Regional Award (October 2017)