History of
Project HOPE-Virginia

Federal legislation addressing the education of students experiencing homelessness was established in 1987, with William & Mary’s involvement beginning seven years later. During 1994-95, the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) homeless education program operated with limited resources, receiving less than $400,000 in annual funding. After the resignation of the state coordinator, Dr. Bill Bosher, the state superintendent, explored options to advance the program. Dr. Bosher discovered that Dr. James H. Stronge had recently earned national recognition for his book, Educating Homeless Children and Adolescents: Evaluating Policy and Practice.

Recognizing this national expertise within the state, VDOE partnered with William & Mary’s School of Education to fulfill Virginia’s commitment to serving students experiencing homelessness. Dr. Stronge was appointed as the state coordinator and adopted the name that Virginia Beach used for its homeless education program, Project H.O.P.E. (Homeless Office for Programs in Education). As the program expanded throughout the late 1990s, branding efforts and awareness campaigns resulted in the program’s first official logo for publications.

Dr. Patricia Popp, who joined as a graduate assistant in 1995 and served in various capacities while completing her doctorate, assumed the role of state coordinator in 2003, with Dr. Stronge continuing his involvement as faculty liaison.

The early 2000s marked a shift in focus following the passage of No Child Left Behind, which emphasized documentation of academic achievements, particularly high school graduation rates, alongside mandates for enrollment, attendance, and overall school success. In 2008, disaggregated graduation data became available, highlighting gaps among stably and unstably housed students.

The 2014 logo redesign incorporated a graduation cap, symbolizing this new emphasis on academic achievement and graduation rates. The following year, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which continues to inform Project HOPE-Virginia’s work today.

Before COVID-19, Virginia public schools identified more than 20,000 students experiencing homelessness each year. These numbers plummeted during the pandemic due to factors like school closures, transition to virtual learning, eviction moratoriums, and expanded federal resources available to families.

The American Rescue Plan Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund allocated more than $13 million to improve identification processes and facilitate student re-engagement with schools. Project HOPE-VA strengthened partnerships with local McKinney-Vento liaisons and implemented innovative support mechanisms, including monthly Charlie Check-ins, an annual conference, and a comprehensive awareness campaign. This included rebranding, new outreach and professional development materials, and a social media presence to reach families and students with unstable housing.

Utilizing state ARP-HCY funds, Project HOPE-VA engaged professional services to create a new logo and refine our communications approach to better reach today’s families and address the pressing needs of students. One striking feature of this new logo is the way the map of Virginia is embedded in HOPE, which could be interpreted as a sunrise. Project HOPE-Virginia considers its work to still be on the horizon, with more efforts and more support to students across the commonwealth.