McKinney-Vento Act – Definition of Homelessness:

• Homeless children and youth are individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.
  • Sharing the housing of others (“doubled-up”) due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
  • Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
  • Living in emergency and transitional shelters;
  • Unsheltered;
  • Unaccompanied youth who have runaway or who are denied housing by their guardians

Main Themes of McKinney-Vento:

• School stability
• School accesses
• Support for academic success
• Child-centered, best interest decision making

McKinney-Vento Requires Districts to:

• Appoint a Homeless Coordinator: Tara Porter
• Actively identify homeless children & youth
• Determine school of best interest with family
•  Provide transportation to school of best interest
• Remove all barriers to enrollment & success
• Inform parents, school staff, and others of rights of homeless students
• Facilitate resolution of disputes

Educational Protections:

• Immediate enrollment, even lacking paperwork
• Concepts of “school of origin” and “school of best interest”
• Right to transportation
• Right to comparable and non-segregated services
• Right to complete the school year at one school if feasible
• Access to free breakfast and lunch program
• Access to Title 1 services

Additional Services Provided to Homeless Students:

• Outreach, case management, and support services
• School supplies, backpacks, school clothes and other daily living and enrichment items
• Tutoring to help students catch up and stay current
• Funds for activity and educational field trip fees
• Funds to replace textbooks, library books,
• Funds to purchase books for students to own through school book fairs
• Transportation for students to attend school, extra-curricular activities, and tutoring
• Transportation for families to attend conferences and school events
• Funds to purchase birth certificates
• Hygiene items
• Scholarships for participation in early childhood education programs

Other Funding and Donations are used to Help Homeless Students With:

• Graduation expenses
• Yearbooks
• School pictures
• Class rings
• Field trips
• Prom/Courtwarming outfits
• Medical Needs
• Educational Needs
• Transportation
• Extracurricular Fees and Supplies
• Etc.