Homeless Youth

The term ‘children and youths’ means:

A. individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and

B. includes -

(i) children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing,
economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or
camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in
emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster
care placement;

(ii) children and youths who have primary nighttime residence that is a public or private
place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for
human beings (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C));

(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings,
substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and

(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this
subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through
(iii).

McKinney‐Vento Act

The McKinney‐Vento Act is a federal law designed to increase the school enrollment, attendance, and success of children and youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.

McKinney‐Vento Rights

• Immediate enrollment

• Remain in the school of origin, if in the student’s best interest

• Receive transportation assistance, when requested

• Receive appropriate educational services comparable to other

students

• Receive free school meals

Example Situations of Homelessness

• Sharing a home due to loss of housing

• Sharing a home due to economic hardship

• Living in motels / hotels / trailer parks

• Living in a shelter / bus or train stations