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The document highlights burdensome eligibility and administrative rule barriers, includes a personal scholar testimony, and closes with policy recommendations for expedited federal implementation and new legislative actions.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/working-harder-just-to-be-seen-and-heard-barriers-to-financial-aid-for-homeless-and-foster-youth/586817/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/working-harder-just-to-be-seen-and-heard-barriers-to-financial-aid-for-homeless-and-foster-youth/586817.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Sarah ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What populations does the report focus on for FAFSA barriers?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The report focuses on unaccompanied homeless youth and youth with experience in foster care. It describes how both groups face distinct obstacles to accessing and completing higher education.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What major trends in FAFSA determinations does the report identify for 2020–2021?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It reports nearly a 10% decline in unaccompanied homeless youth FAFSA determinations from 2019–2020. It also notes increases in requests for homelessness consideration that were not determined by the end of the application cycle.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What recommendations does the report make to address these barriers?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It recommends the U.S. Department of Education quickly implement the homeless and foster provisions in the FAFSA Simplification Act for the 2023–2024 award year and issue strong guidance to financial aid administrators. It also recommends Congress enact the Higher Education for Homeless and Foster Youth Act and the Fostering Success in Higher Education Act.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},586817,1792208557,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962085320529,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","“Working Harder Just to Be Seen and Heard:”  \nBarriers to Financial Aid for Homeless and Foster Youth  \nContents  \nExecutive Summary  1  \nFindings 2  \nRecommendations 3  \nBackground  5  \nFindings  7  \nRecommendations  12  \nAPPENDIX A  \nState-by-State Data on Unaccompanied  \nHomeless Youth FAFSA Determinations  16  \nAPPENDIX B  \nState-by-State Data on  \nFoster Youth FAFSA~~ Determinations ~~  19  \nAPPENDIX C  \nState Legislation on  \nFAFSA Completion  22  \n“Working Harder Just to Be Seen and Heard:” Barriers  \nto Financial Aid for Homeless and Foster Youth Executive Summary  \nExecutive Summary  \nApproximately 4.2 million youth and young  adults experience homelessness on their own every year. These young people — referred to as “unaccompanied homeless youth” under federal education law — face unique barriers to accessing and completing higher education. Another more than 407,000 children and youth are in the foster care system.  \nFor both populations, lack of family and support, coupled with histories of neglect, abuse, trauma, mobility, and deep poverty, create roadblocks to their path to and through postsecondary education. Yet some form of education beyond high school remains their best opportunity for long-term stability, economic independence, health, and well-being.  \nUnaccompanied homeless youth are not living with, or supported by, a parent or guardian, and cannot obtain parental income information. Therefore, under the Higher Education Act, they are considered independent students and do not need to provide a parent’s signature or information about parental income on the FAFSA. Youth with experience in foster care on or after their 13th birthday also are considered independent students.  \nDespite this policy, these youth face barriers to higher education, including burdensome financial aid program rules that have made it more difficult for these youth to obtain federal financial assistance for college. These barriers were exacerbated by the pandemic, which brought disruption, isolation, and more economic hardship and trauma.  \n“Working Harder Just to Be Seen and Heard:” Barriers  \nto Financial Aid for Homeless and Foster Youth Executive Summary: Findings  \nEXECUTIVE SUMMARY  \nFindings  \nThis report examines recently released 2020- 2021 federal data that help illustrate the impact of the pandemic on FAFSA completion for youth experiencing homelessness and youth with experience in foster care.  \nIt finds that:  \nIn the 2020-2021 academic year, the  \nnumber of unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) FAFSA determinations declined by almost 10% from the prior year (2019-2020). This decrease is nearly ten times greater than the percentage drop in the total number of FAFSA applications submitted in 2020-21, and the first decline in UHY determinations in five years of data collection.  \n1  \nThe number of youth who requested FAFSA homeless determinations, but did not receive them by the end of the application cycle, increased by 23% from the prior year (2019-2020), and by 34% from 2018-2019. The increases in “undetermined requests for homelessness consideration” represent increases in the number of students whose homeless status remains unknown because a determination was not made in response to their requests  \nfor schools to consider their homelessness.  \n2  \nMy school didn’t return my financial aid letter recognizing my unaccompanied youth status until July 23, right before move-in. I had to nag heavily, and I still feel as if I didn’t receive nearly as much as I deserve as an independent student and being in the situations I was in. I applied super early and it didn’t help me unfortunately, but I’d still say to other youth to apply early because of things like this. I wish kids like us got more urgent help, as in making sure we get all the financial help we need and deserve. If anything, students like us who yearn for an education yet are facing circumstances that may keep us from getting one, should be priority. We constantly ha","cbCaijX34brw63Ua","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijX34brw63Ua","pdf",5174119,25,"English","# Executive Summary\n## Findings\n## Recommendations\n# Background\n# APPENDIX A\n## State-by-State Data on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth FAFSA Determinations\n# APPENDIX B\n## State-by-State Data on Foster Youth FAFSA Determinations\n# APPENDIX C\n## State Legislation on FAFSA Completion","[{\"question\":\"What populations does the report focus on for FAFSA barriers?\",\"answer\":\"The report focuses on unaccompanied homeless youth and youth with experience in foster care. It describes how both groups face distinct obstacles to accessing and completing higher education.\"},{\"question\":\"What major trends in FAFSA determinations does the report identify for 2020–2021?\",\"answer\":\"It reports nearly a 10% decline in unaccompanied homeless youth FAFSA determinations from 2019–2020. It also notes increases in requests for homelessness consideration that were not determined by the end of the application cycle.\"},{\"question\":\"What recommendations does the report make to address these barriers?\",\"answer\":\"It recommends the U.S. Department of Education quickly implement the homeless and foster provisions in the FAFSA Simplification Act for the 2023–2024 award year and issue strong guidance to financial aid administrators. It also recommends Congress enact the Higher Education for Homeless and Foster Youth Act and the Fostering Success in Higher Education Act.\"}]","Working Harder Just to Be Seen and Heard: Barriers to Financial Aid for Homeless and Foster Youth | PDF",1792059487,63]