McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act

  • McKinney-Vento Defined . . .

    The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, reauthorized by Title IX, Part A, ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness.

    Who is homeless?

    The term "homeless children and youth" means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.  This includes children and youth who are:

    1. sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
    2. living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations;
    3. living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
    4. living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for humans;
    5. living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

    Note:   Migrant and Unaccompanied children & youth qualify if they live in any of the circumstances described above.