Congress enacted the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) to improve college access for unaccompanied homeless youth by expanding the definition of “independent student” on their financial aid applications. Using qualitative interviews with homeless community college students and university financial aid administrators (FAA), this research explored the implementation of this policy. This study indicates that multiple barriers to financial aid for homeless youth continue to persist after the passage of CCRAA. Youth reported burdensome verification procedures and FAAs reported extensive justification to prove youth homelessness and attempts to support students. Efforts to increase these youths' ability to receive financial aid include revisions to the verification procedures and specialized trainings. Specific recommendations for practice, policy, and research are provided.

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The homelessness response system in the United States is dominated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD's definition of homelessness, program models, metrics, data, approaches, and goals have overshadowed those of other federal agencies. This policy brief argues that children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness have been poorly served by HUD's dominance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes that other federal agencies, specifically the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education, are better suited to provide comprehensive homeless assistance for children, youth, and families. The author draws from research, policy analyses, and testimonies of parents, service providers, and educators to make the case for a reimagined homelessness response that is childcentered and oriented toward long-term goals of economic independence, health, and wellness. KEYWORDS Family homelessness; child homelessness; Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); COVID-19; housing assistance; Administration for Children and Families (ACF) It's very easy in shelter [and street outreach] work for us to just react. And just to be on the front lines, to be there 24/7 to be able to take the folks, and feed them, call them shelter, and hopefully get them out. But when they keep coming back around, you have to ask the question of why is this happening in the first place? And what can we do to prevent that? We've been reacting a lot to the issue of homelessness. But it hasn't worked. Reaction is important. When someone is hungry, feed them. When someone is homeless, shelter them. But obviously we're all here today because we realize that we haven't moved the needle much. We've got to reboot the system. We have to reboot the system within our families. We have to reboot the system within our communities, within our country. We believe that while we're putting the necessary reactions in place to create more shelter, to have affordable housing, until we address the issue of trauma that's going on in these families' lives, which is so complex, so complex, I don't believe we're going to get any further ahead than we've ever been.