Supportive Interactions with Unaccompanied Youth
Format
Individual Presentation
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
Berks County Intermediate Unit
First Presenter’s Email Address
krihof@berksiu.org
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Kristen Hoffa is from Berks County and serves as a Regional Coordinator for two programs operated by the PA Department of Education, which support the education of students experiencing homelessness and those in foster care. She partners with school districts and community programs to ensure that students have the tools they need to be successful in school. She has a master’s degree in public administration and has worked with children experiencing homelessness for nearly 20 years. Prior to her current role, she served in administrative roles supporting children and families experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence.
Second Presenter's Institution
Berks County Intermediate Unit
Second Presenter’s Email Address
meldem@berksiu.org
Second Presenter's Brief Biography
Melissa DeMotta is a supervisor for two Federal programs: Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homeless and Educational Stability for Foster Care Youth. Her office is contracted with the PA Department of Education and is located at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Reading, Pennsylvania. She works directly with public school districts in a six- county region to assist with breaking down barriers to education for displaced youth and youth in foster care. Through these programs, she also works closely with community partners throughout the region to encourage collaboration in providing supportive services to students and families. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in social services.
Third Presenter's Institution
Berks County Intermediate Unit
Third Presenter’s Email Address
tabkra@berksiu.org
Third Presenter's Brief Biography
Tabitha Kramer is a supervisor for the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness and Educational Stability for Foster Care Youth. The Region 2 office is contracted with the PA Department of Education and is located at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Reading, Pennsylvania. She works directly with public school districts and early childhood programs in a six- county region to assist with breaking down barriers to education for displaced youth and youth in foster care. Through these programs, she builds strategic partnerships with community leaders and service organizations to effectively support students and families. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Alvernia University.
Submitter
I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)
Location
Scarbrough 2
Strand #1
Heart: Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership
Relevance
This session will focus on social and emotional skill development for school staff when working with youth experiencing homelessness. The session discussion will focus on strategies that school staff can use to recognize challenges for youth, how assistance can be offered in a trauma-informed manner, and how school staff can also support the academic achievement of youth facing adverse circumstances.
Brief Program Description
Experiencing poverty and homelessness at a young age can result in complex psychological trauma and affect a student’s educational success. The session will feature an in-depth case study that follows a story of an unaccompanied youth. Participants will explore trauma-informed practices and how positive interactions between school staff and students can make all the difference in a student’s education.
Summary
Experiencing poverty and homelessness at a young age can result in complex psychological trauma and affect a student’s educational success. Unaccompanied youth are a particularly vulnerable demographic who often lack an encouraging adult to help them navigate their experiences. This interactive session reviews the impact of youth homelessness, the effects of trauma in the classroom, and the specific educational barriers these students face. The session will feature an in-depth case study that follows the story of Abby, an unaccompanied youth. With a cell phone or laptop, groups of participants will work through Abby’s story on a web-based platform. Participants will better understand the complex relationship between life experiences and school success for unaccompanied youth. The session explores trauma-informed practices and how positive interactions between school staff and students can make all the difference in a student’s education. Participants will take away practical strategies to support students experiencing homelessness and minimize the effects of housing instability.
Through this extensive interactive case study, participants will gain an understanding of the life experiences and educational barriers for unaccompanied youth and methods to better support these students by leaving with practical tools and strategies to take back to their schools.
Poverty, homelessness, and educational barriers are prevalent among minority groups, particularly unaccompanied youth. This presentation will also explore the interconnectedness of racial inequality in housing and education, and participants will discuss culturally sensitive approaches to supporting youth through the interactive case study.
Evidence
Youth Risk Behavior Survey: https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/index.html
National Center for Homeless Education: https://nche.ed.gov/data-and-stats/
PA Department of Eduacation: https://www.education.pa.gov/Policy-Funding/BECS/uscode/Pages/EducationforHomelessYouth.aspx
PA ECYEH Region 2: https://sites.google.com/berksiu.org/ecyeh/home
CASEL: https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
This presentation was developed with research from PA state and national sources, experience of the presenters, and this session was recently presented at the National Social and Emotional Learning conference in King of Prussia, PA.
Learning Objective 1
Participants will be given an overview of unaccompanied youth and their rights under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Learning Objective 2
Participants will work through an extensive case study on an online platform. Through the case study, participants will gain knowledge of the impact of poverty and homelessness on unaccompanied youth, as well as trauma-informed practices when working directly with students.
Learning Objective 3
Participants will learn procedures to implement at the school level to support the educational success of unaccompanied youth.
Keyword Descriptors
homeless, unaccompanied youth, trauma-informed
Presentation Year
2025
Start Date
3-4-2025 2:45 PM
Recommended Citation
Hoffa, Kristen; DeMotta, Melissa; and Kramer, Tabitha, "Supportive Interactions with Unaccompanied Youth" (2025). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 64.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2025/2025/64
Supportive Interactions with Unaccompanied Youth
Scarbrough 2
Experiencing poverty and homelessness at a young age can result in complex psychological trauma and affect a student’s educational success. The session will feature an in-depth case study that follows a story of an unaccompanied youth. Participants will explore trauma-informed practices and how positive interactions between school staff and students can make all the difference in a student’s education.