HEART Program

Homeless Education And Resource Team (HEART): Spokane Public Schools' program for implementing the federal McKinney-Vento Education Assistance Act and the state Homeless Student Stability and Opportunity Grant Act.

If you are experiencing a loss of housing or are already a part of the HEART Program and need assistance, please fill out this form anytime during the year and a member of the HEART team will be in touch with you as soon as possible:

Who we serve

The HEART program helps children and youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes children and youth who are:

• Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
• Living in motel, hotels, trailer parks or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Abandoned in hospitals
• Living in places that are not regular sleeping accommodations for people
• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
• Unaccompanied Youth, youth who are not in the physical custody of their legal parent/guardian, are able to access services on their own.

What we do

As homeless education facilitators, we:

• Locate and enroll students in the HEART program
• Protect a student’s "School of Origin" – the school that a student last attended when permanently housed
• Coordinate transportation to student's "school of origin"
• Communicate to each school regularly about HEART students currently enrolled in their building and contact teachers and/or school officials about developing issues
• Serve as a liaison between the school, parents, students and community agencies to meet the educational needs of students
• Accumulate statistics about the mobility of students experiencing homelessness
• Visit school buildings to support students, staff and parents with any issues/concerns
• Network with other community agencies and programs involved with homelessness to coordinate advocacy efforts and link community services
• Assist in obtaining educational documents and records
• Ensure that children and youth, including unaccompanied youth, enroll and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in school

Our goals

We aim:

• to support and meet the educational needs of students in short-term or temporary housing situations
• to maintain consistency of the educational process while living in transitional housing
• ensure the same opportunity to meet high academic standards as all students
• engage parents, school, and the community as full partners in the educational process of students who are in transitional situations