1. Working with Homeless Students
National Center for Homeless Education
Jan Moore
Working with Homeless Students

2. National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
Operates U.S. Department of Education’s homeless education technical assistance and information center
NCHE provides
Comprehensive website:
Helpline: Call or
Free products and publications: Visit
Working with Homeless Students

3. McKinney-Vento Definition of Homeless
A homeless child or youth lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence:
Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason (doubled-up)
Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations
Living in emergency or transitional shelters
Awaiting foster care placement
Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live
Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, etc.
Migratory children living in above circumstances
Unaccompanied youth who are living in the above circumstances
Working with Homeless Students

4. Awaiting Foster Care No federal guidance on definition of the term
States interpret in various ways
Some have policies to clarify when children and youth in child welfare custody are eligible for McKinney-Vento services
Some have state laws and policies that provide foster children and youth with rights similar to what McKinney-Vento provides homeless students

5. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
An unaccompanied homeless youth is
living in a situation that meets the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless
NOT in the physical custody of a parent or guardian (definition of “unaccompanied youth”)
No age limit
No citizenship requirement (Plyler v. Doe)
School’s legal responsibility and priority is immediate enrollment and education of the student
Working with Homeless Students

6. Paths to Being “On Your Own”
Longstanding patterns of family conflict: blended family issues, sexual activity, pregnancy, sexual orientation, school problems, alcohol/drug use
Parental incarceration or substance abuse
Abused and/or neglected, but not taken into child welfare custody
Foster care issues: running away from a placement; aging out of the system
Multiple studies estimate that 1 million plus youth ages will become homeless unaccompanied youth each year
Disproportionate representation of minority ethnic groups, pregnant/parenting teens, and GLBTQ youth
Toro, P.A., Dworsky, A., & Fowler, P.J. (2007). Homeless Youth in the United States: Recent Research Findings and Intervention Approaches. Available at
Working with Homeless Students

7. McKinney-Vento Educational Rights
Unaccompanied homeless youth and those awaiting a foster care placement have the same rights under the McKinney-Vento Act as other eligible children and youth
Immediate enrollment, even when lacking records
Attend either the school of origin, if feasible, or the local school
Receive transportation to the school of origin
Comparable services to those provided other students
Access to the dispute resolution process
Working with Homeless Students

8. McKinney-Vento and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Special provisions:
Don’t need a parent/guardian to enroll or have access to services
Local liaison must support the student in making education decisions and understanding MV rights
Same right to dispute resolution as parents/ guardians
Working with Homeless Students

9. Enrollment Strategies
Three common methods for enrolling unaccompanied homeless youth
A caregiver enrolls (see sample enrollment form at pdf )
Local liaison enrolls
The UHY enrolls himself/herself
Required signatures and decision-making for UHY usually follows the same pattern
Working with Homeless Students

10. Working with Homeless Students
Enrollment Reminders
A school district cannot
require a caregiver to obtain legal guardianship
discontinue an UHY’s enrollment due to an inability to identify a caregiver, guardian, or parent following enrollment
disenroll because of inability to produce guardianship or other paperwork
CN require a caregiver to obtain legal guardianship at any point prior to or following an UY’s enrollment
Working with Homeless Students

11. Applying for College Financial Aid
College Cost Reduction and Access Act
Uses McKinney-Vento definition of homeless
Independent student includes:
Unaccompanied homeless youth
Youth in foster care after age 13
Emancipated minors and those in legal guardianships determined by a court
Can apply for federal aid without parental information or signature 
Must be verified as unaccompanied and homeless or as unaccompanied, at risk of homelessness, and self-supporting
expanded the definition of “independent student” to include: (1) unaccompanied homeless youth; (2) youth who are in foster care at any time after the age of 13 or older, and; (3) youth who are emancipated minors or are in legal guardianships as determined by an appropriate court in the individual's state of residence. Therefore, those youth can apply for federal aid without parental information or signature.
The legislation requires youth to be verified as unaccompanied and homeless during the school year in which they apply for aid, or as unaccompanied, at risk of homelessness, and self-supporting.; also includes a student living in the dorms if he/she would otherwise be homeless
At risk of homelessness: “when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate”

12. Independent Student Status for FAFSA
Can be verified by
McKinney-Vento School District Liaison
Director or designee of a HUD-funded program
Director or designee of a RHYA-funded program
Financial aid administrator

13. Citizenship and financial aid
Only U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens can receive federal student financial aid
Noncitizens may be eligible for state, private, or institutional aid and should complete the FAFSA to apply for that aid
Federal Student Aid Handbook – discussion of citizenship issues
student should still submit the FAFSA if she might be eligible for aid from institutional, state, or private sources that do not require U.S. citizenship.

14. NCHE Resources
Child Welfare/Foster Care page
Unaccompanied youth page
Access to Higher Education page

15. Contact Information
Jan Moore National Center for Homeless Education

16. Washington State Overview Homeless Children and Youth
Foster Care Summit
November, 2011
Washington, D.C.

17. Washington State Data Trends
: 8,141
: 12,274
: 13,942
: 16,853
: 18,670
: 20,780
: 21,826

18. Washington State Data, cont.
Between and
139 Districts reported an increase in homeless students
103 Districts reported a decrease in homeless students
53 Districts reported no change
In , 50 districts reported “zero” homeless students; a decrease from , when 56 districts reported “zero” homeless students

20. McKinney-Vento Grants
Currently, Washington receives $862,249
Provides competitive grants to 23 sites
Of 295 districts, 245 reported homeless students enrolled in

21. Challenges “Awaiting” foster care placement
Lack of transportation funding
State level data collection changes
Reaching every district liaison for training and technical assistance (geography)

22. Successes Increased collaboration with Children’s Administration
Amazing support from State Director for Pupil Transportation. All districts transportation staff receive comprehensive McKinney-Vento training.
Overwhelming participation from most school districts in training and technical assistance
Program staff provided on-site TA to 68 individual districts last year, and over 500 people attended our (large group) annual liaison training sessions

23. For more information…
Melinda Dyer, Program Supervisor Education of Homeless Children and Youth Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction