Homelessness

Definition of a Homeless Child/Youth

• A homeless child or youth ages 3-21;

• A child who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and includes the following:

  • A child who is sharing the housing of others (includes doubled-up families) due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; is abandoned in a hospital

  • A child who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for humans beings

  • A child who is living in a car, park, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or

  • A migratory child/youth who qualifies as homeless because of the living circumstances described above

    • Includes youth who have runaway or youth being forced to leave home.

Educational Rights of Homeless Children and Youth

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, children in homeless situations have the right to:

• Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there;

• Attend either the local school or the school of origin, if this is in their best interest; the school of origin is the school the child attended when he/she was permanently housed, or the school in which the child was last enrolled;

• Receive transportation to and from the school of origin;

• Enroll in school immediately, even if missing records and documents normally required for enrollment such as a birth certificate, proof of residence, previous school records, or

• immunization/medical records;

• Enroll, attend classes, and participate fully in all school activities while the school arranges for transfer of records;

• Have access to the same programs and services that are available to all other students including transportation and supplemental educational services;

• Have access to free school meals/lunch programs;

• Attend school with children not experiencing homelessness; segregation based on a student’s status as homeless is prohibited

United Action for Youth (UAY) Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Programs

Street Outreach Program (SOP): https://www.unitedactionforyouth.org/tlp

The Street Outreach Program provides homelessness intervention services to young people from age 12 to 21. The goal of the SOP is to connect Street Outreach Advocates with youth at risk of, or currently experiencing, homelessness in its’ service area. SOP Advocates host drop in sites and meet with individuals to help connect them with resources to overcome their current housing crisis

 Program Serves: Cedar, Johnson and Washington Counties

• SOP Advocates will assist youth in exiting street homelessness and obtaining safe shelter.

• SOP Advocates will help youth obtain basic living necessitates (hygiene items, food, etc.)

• SOP Advocates will work 1:1 with youth on individual goal plans while building report to return them to safe shelter as soon as possible.

• Online Referral Form