South Middleton School District has new therapy program to help homeless students
South Middleton School District has a new option to help students who are coping with homelessness.
The school board recently approved an agreement with Move Forward Counseling, a Lancaster-based provider of school-based outpatient mental health therapy services.
Under the agreement, Move Forward will provide online therapy sessions to youths at all grade levels who are referred by the district Student Assistance Program and meet the criteria as homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Act.
The act requires that homeless students have access to all programs and services for which they are eligible including special education services, preschool, school nutrition programs, language assistance for English learners, online learning and before-and-after school care.
The agreement with Move Forward is an outgrowth of the Bridge Project in PA, said Alex Smith, district director of student services. "This is now an option in our toolbox."
He said the statewide initiative is an opportunity to provide therapy to students who may otherwise miss out due to the logistical challenges that go with transient or unstable housing arrangements.
"Home stability can provide a sense of security and connectivity within your community," Smith said. "That helps to build on your emotional well-being. When safety needs are not met you could be more vulnerable to mental health problems like anxiety and depression."
In May 2023, Smith presented enrollment trends that show that the number of district students coping with homelessness had tripled over a two-year period from 16 students in spring 2021 to 48 students in spring 2023.
Part of this increase was due to better identification of students who meet the criteria under McKinney-Vento. In early October 2021, the district received a federal grant to train faculty and staff members on methods to identify and guide students to support programs within the community.
Funding for therapy under the Bridge Project is coming from the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program administered by the Center for Communities and Schools.
Services will only be provided for South Middleton students whose parents or guardians have provided consent. Each online session will be conducted in a private room at district school buildings under the coordination of Angelina Romano, the district social worker and homeless liaison.
This new therapy option will be available to South Middleton students at least through late September 2025, when the funding expires, Smith said. "It would be up to the state legislature to see if there would be funding to continue the program."
If not, the agreement requires that Romano work with Move Forward staff to ensure continuity of care. Move Forward staffers are required to provide monthly updates to the liaison and to coordinate intervention protocols if a student is determined to be experiencing a mental health crisis during an online session.
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