Florida defends its denial of tuition waivers for homeless

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Last December, about 40 homeless people who were living at The Lord's Place were taking classes at Palm Beach State College. This year, there are eight.

Although there are several reasons for the drop, a major factor is the college's decision to reject applications for free tuition from people who live in the nonprofit's free or heavily subsidized apartments, said Diana Stanley, executive director of the agency, which serves the homeless.

''People are getting caught up in the definition of homelessness," she said.

The 250 people who are living in the apartments in West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach are homeless, she said. However, because they have roofs over their heads, college officials say they aren't eligible for free tuition despite a state law that allows the homeless to attend state colleges and universities at no cost.

This month, a Lake Worth group that provides apartments to the homeless sued the college, claiming it is violating the law. The Palm Beach Recovery Coalition filed suit after PBSC said five homeless men who live in its apartment don't qualify for free tuition.

John Holdnak, vice chancellor for financial policy for the Florida Department of Education's division of colleges, said the group's beef isn't with the college -- it's with the law.

There's no doubt, he said, that interest in the program has grown dramatically in recent years. Three years ago, offering free tuition to the homeless cost the state roughly $300,000. Last year, it cost more than $1 million.

However, he said, the amount pales in comparison with the cost of providing free tuition to other groups that are eligible under the same law. Allowing students to dual-enroll in state colleges while they are still in high school costs roughly $50 million annually, he said.

''It's a fairly small program," he said of the homeless tuition exemption.

On the university level, it's nearly non-existent. According to the Florida Board of Governors, during the 2009-10 fiscal year, the state's university system waived fees for three homeless people at a cost of $5,787. All were for classes at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The difference is that people still have to qualify to attend state universities. State colleges, formerly known as community colleges, have to accept all applicants.