Students Who Qualify
From the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, students who qualify, include children and youth from birth to 21 years of age who are experiencing insecure housing through a lack of fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence:
Fixed: Nighttime residence is the same every night, 365 days of the year
Does not include children alternating homes due to split custody
Regular: A regular nighttime residence that typically developing and non-homeless families reside
Does not include motels, hotels, campgrounds, RV's, cars, etc.
Adequate: The nighttime residence is safe, secure, and meets basic needs (i.e. food, water, shelter, heat)
A home that is not overcrowded, free of mold, and safe for all individuals living in the home
which includes:
Share housing with other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason
Live in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations
Live in emergency or transitional shelters
Are abandoned in-hospital
Have a primary nighttime residence not designed for, or used as regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (storage units, garages, etc.)
Live in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
Are migratory children living in the aforementioned circumstances
Are unaccompanied youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian