Families in Transition and Foster Support
What does it mean to be a Family in Transition?
Families in Transition (FIT) lack a fixed, adequate, and regular nighttime residence. This can include shelters, motels/hotels, campgrounds, living in cars, etc. Children and youth sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason may also be considered homeless, according to the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987. Students who are eligible for service through the McKinney-Vento Act have the right to enroll and attend school without delay.
The Families in Transition Office coordinates various services across the district to remove barriers and provide support to students experiencing homelessness.
Additional Educational and Community Resources
Families who are experiencing the following residential situations may qualify for additional services through the Families in Transition Office:
Doubled Up: temporarily sharing a residence with another family; couch-surfing
Sheltered: living in a homeless shelter, domestic violence shelter, hotel/motel
Unsheltered: living in a car, park, underpass, abandoned/condemned space
Required Forms for FIT Families
Contact the Foster Care Liaison
Fostering Connections: [email protected]
Corey Streeter, Foster Care Liaison
[email protected]
931-572-8827
Contact the Families in Transition Liaisons and Service Navigator
The FIT Liaisons are the District’s points of contact for all issues affecting students experiencing homelessness. They enforce local compliance with federal law, collect, monitor, and submit required data and records of FIT student populations to the state. FIT Liaisons provide some supplements to address a family’s basic needs (e.g., Goodwill cards, fuel cards, etc.) They coordinate with the school-based point of contact to determine FIT eligibility and establish and maintain partnerships with internal and external service providers.
The Families in Transition Service Navigator provides academic support to FIT students, including academic monitoring and conferencing, advocacy, and scholarly support (e.g., study skills, focused note taking, literacy engagement, etc.). They strategize and coordinate with internal and external partners to provide holistic services to facilitate student success.
CONTACT
[email protected] This message will be sent to the entire FIT team. See below for individual contacts.
