Foster Care and Homeless Youth

Support for homeless youth and students who have been in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) is available through College of Central Florida liaisons. You can reach out to our Foster Care and Homeless Liaison for information about resources available at CF. The liaison can answer questions about CF and the admission process, as well as advocate for homeless and foster care students during their time at CF.

Foster Care and Homeless Liaison

Denea Hollis
CF Ocala Campus, Building 5, Room 102L
hollisd@cf.edu
352-873-5800, ext. 1304

Tuition and Fee Exemptions

Foster Care Youth

Tuition and Fee Exemptions are available to students receiving or formerly receiving service from the Department of Children’s Families services if they meet the following criteria:

• They are or were at the time of reaching 18 years of age, in out-of-home care.
• They were adopted by the Department of Children and Families after May 5, 1997.
• They are, or were at the time of reaching 18 years of age, placed in the custody of a relative or non-relative under s. 39.5085, s. 39.6221, or s. 39.6225, F.S.
• They are reunified with their parents after spending at least 18 months in out-of-home care after reaching 14 years of age, including a reunification pursuant to s. 39.8155, F.S.

Homeless Youth

Tuition and Fee Exemptions are available to students who were provided a letter or card under the McKinney-Vento Act. This documentation allows our institution to consider a student eligible until otherwise conflicting information is received.

Getting Started

Students are encouraged to contact the Foster Care and Homeless Liaison for guidance on enrolling at CF. An overview of the admissions process is available by clicking below:
Application Instructions

In addition to the standard admissions process, students will need to submit their DCF waiver or McKinney-Vento (H.E.A.R.T.) documentation to prove eligibility for tuition exemption and financial resources.