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Author: Savannah Gay

NCHEP: NC Head Start Conference

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in Uncategorized.

In March 2026, NCHEP had the honor of presenting at the North Carolina Head Start Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Program Administrator Beth Branagan, alongside homeless liaisons Cathy Waugh (Person County Schools) and Amanda Vernon (Rockingham County Schools), led a session titled “Stronger Together: Effective Cross-Program Collaboration to Support Young Students Experiencing Homelessness.”

The presentation highlighted key requirements of the McKinney-Vento Act, with a focus on identifying preschool-aged children experiencing homelessness, connecting them to high-quality early childhood programs, and strengthening collaboration with local homeless liaisons to better support young learners and their families.

Franklin County Schools: Empty Bowls

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in District Updates.

Franklin County Schools McKinney-Vento Program has developed a partnership with The Community Cares Organization to support the food insecurity needs of students identified as experiencing homelessness within the school district. Community Cares partners with the McKinney-Vento Liaison to provide non-perishable food to students during Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks from school. Food bags are filled with food to support 10 days of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack for over 35 students. The McKinney-Vento Liaison partners with school social workers to distribute and deliver bags to families in need.

In early March, the Community Cares Organization held its first fundraiser to support this cause. Empty Bowls is a national grassroots movement that partners with local artisans to raise money for food-related charities. Local artisan, Michele Ann, hand-spun 250 bowls for the inaugural event. Bowls were provided to attendees to remind them that “no child deserves an empty bowl”. Additional activities included a local fire department chili contest, community raffle, and McKinney-Vento conversations with school counselors, social workers, and the McKinney-Vento Liaison. Over $4,000.00 was raised to support the ongoing partnership between the Community Cares Organization and the McKinney-Vento Program with Franklin County Schools.

Hurricane Helene Response: Lessons from the Field

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in District Updates.

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina in September 2024, the North Carolina Homeless Education Program (NCHEP) convened a panel of homeless liaisons from the most severely impacted counties. Over several months, liaisons from Buncombe, Haywood, Yancey, and McDowell counties collaborated to document key lessons learned from supporting children and youth experiencing homelessness during and after the storm.

The resulting presentation has been shared at NCHEP professional development sessions and at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) national conference in Dallas, Texas, in November 2025. The panel was also invited to present their experiences to Mebane Rash, CEO and editor-in-chief of EducationNC (EdNC), a leading source for education news in North Carolina.

EdNC is currently developing a hurricane response “playbook,” expected to be published in early 2026. The insights shared by these liaisons will be included to help guide homeless liaisons and education leaders in future disaster responses, ensuring that students experiencing homelessness are identified and supported as quickly and effectively as possible.

Read more about the “playbook” HERE.

Public Schools of Robeson County: Celebrates Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in District Updates.

The Public Schools of Robeson County community showed up in a big way! Throughout the week, food was collected at baseball games, across the school district, and at the district office. There were enough donations made to support children and families throughout the Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday break. Thanks to the generosity of the students, staff, and community members, the school district was able to donate extra items to the Robeson County Church and the Community Center, as well as the Food Bank.

The Public Schools of Robeson County social workers proudly wore their “Support Crew – Hunger & Homeless Awareness” shirts as they helped lead this effort. Shaneitha Lee Nance, homeless liaison for the district, is extremely grateful to everyone who played a part in spreading hope and care across the county!

Cleveland County Schools: Stakeholder Luncheon

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in District Updates.

Cleveland County Schools recently hosted a Community Stakeholder Lunch centered on an important conversation about student homelessness — and how each of us can make a difference. Thirty-eight School Social Workers and community members came together to discuss the challenges students face, the support systems available, and meaningful ways we can work collaboratively to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.

Montgomery County Schools: Thank You, Culinary Students

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in District Updates, NCHEP News.

In October, Dr. Jack Cagle, Montgomery County Schools’ homeless liaison, hosted the NCHEP Sandhills Regional Compliance Forum at the James Reece Blair CTE Building in Troy, NC. During the compliance forum, homeless liaisons in attendance were treated to an array of delicious snacks and lunch graciously prepared by Mr. Cortes’s culinary arts students.

Neely Ward, NCHEP Program Coordinator, had the opportunity to return to Montgomery County Schools to thank these students in person for sharing their culinary skills with the Sandhills homeless liaisons. Superintendent Dr. Karen Rosenboro joined Mrs. Ward in a lively conversation with the students. The students shared why they chose the culinary class, the skills they had learned thus far, and how they planned to use these skills in the future.

Thank you to Montgomery County Schools for your hospitality!

NAEHCY: North Carolina Shows Up & Shows Out

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in NCHEP News.

The National Association of the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) Conference allows education professionals from across the country to come together to expand their knowledge and share best practices on serving vulnerable children and youth. This year, the NAEHCY Conference was held in Dallas, Texas, and focused on community, collaboration, and the power of partnerships.

In typical fashion, North Carolina had a wonderful turnout of educators ready to learn as well as professionals willing to share their wisdom with others. There was a total of seven breakout sessions facilitated by North Carolina representatives, which included 16 presenters. These sessions covered a variety of topics, including collecting and utilizing data, summer programs for students experiencing homelessness, supporting students in foster care, and even disaster impact and preparations presented by homeless liaisons in counties that were directly affected by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina has so many professionals who do amazing work with their homeless education programs. We are thrilled that a few of these were highlighted at the NAEHCY Conference!

Vance County Schools: Vance Cares Community Center

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in District Updates.

The Vance Cares Community Center was “DREAMED” into existence to support families experiencing homelessness. It is stocked with clothing, hygiene items, bedding, kitchen supplies, furniture, wash cards & detergent, and other household essentials that are critical to a family’s needs. It offers immediate, practical assistance that helps reduce barriers to stability, school attendance, and student well-being. The Care Center reduces the burden of starting over after displacement or domestic violence. It offers a respectful, discreet way for families to receive needed items.

The Vance Care Community Center is proud of its Wash Card & Laundry Detergent initiative, which significantly helps families experiencing homelessness by addressing one of the most overlooked but essential needs- clean clothes. The Wash Card initiative has prevented bullying and isolation, which happens when students wear soiled or worn clothing. Vance County Schools is able to provide these resources to their students and families through community partnerships.

NCHEP Compliance Forums + Barnyard Animals

Written by Savannah Gay on . Posted in NCHEP News.

Annually, the North Carolina Homeless Education Program (NCHEP) holds Compliance Forums for homeless liaisons across the state. Compliance Forums allow for homeless liaisons to expand their knowledge on the McKinney-Vento Act, foster relationships with neighboring homeless liaisons, and develop practices to best support the needs of their students experiencing homelessness.

This year, NCHEP had the pleasure of holding one of its Compliance Forums at North East Carolina Preparatory School in Tarboro, NC. North East Carolina Preparatory School is one of two schools in North Carolina to have agriculture programs for their K-12 students. They currently have a miniature donkey named Pancake, goats, sheep, and mini highland cows. Their students are able to work directly with the animals, learning how to feed and care for them and about the role of farm animals in agricultural businesses.

Our homeless liaisons were able to enjoy a break from our meeting to take a tour of the school’s barn and interact with the farm animals. It was a great day of learning, but also a wonderful opportunity to see firsthand the unique ways this charter school engages their students in hands-on learning.