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The Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) is authorized under Title IX Part A of the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA). This is also known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.  This act is designed to address the problems that children and youth in transition face in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school.

Homelessness may exist in any community.  A combination of high housing costs and poverty causes many families to lose their housing, and many young people leave their homes due to abuse, neglect,and family conflict. Children and youth who have lost their housing live in a variety of places, including motels, shelters, shared residences, transitional housing programs, cars, campgrounds, and other places.  Their lack of permanent housing can lead to potentially serious physical, emotional, and mental consequences.

 Under federal law,children and youths experiencing homelessness must have access to appropriate public education, including preschool education when applicable, must be able to fully participate in school and extracurricular activities, and must have access to educational, transportation and other services that they need to assist them in meeting the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. Our schools will ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness are not stigmatized or segregated and are free from discrimination and harassment. In addition, children and youth experiencing homelessness may not be separated from the mainstream school environment based solely on the fact that they are experiencing homelessness.

Every school district is required to have a trained, local homeless education liaison to identify and assist families in transition with enrolling and fully participating in school.

Section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Act defines “children and youths experiencing homelessness as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The term includes: children and youths who:

  • are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as “doubled-up” or “couch surfing”);
  • are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
  • are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or
  • are abandoned in hospitals;
  •  have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
  • are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
  • Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

The McKinney-Vento Act no longer includes children and youths who are awaiting foster care placement in the definition of “children and youths experiencing homelessness” and will no longer be considered homeless and will therefore not be eligible for McKinney-Vento services unless they meet the revised definition of “children and youths experiencing homelessness”. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the ESSA, includes new provisions for ensuring the educational stability of children in foster care under Title I, Part A. Joint U.S. Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance on those provisions can be found here.

The inclusion of substandard housing in the definition of children and youths experiencing homelessness has caused some confusion because standards for adequate housing may vary by locality. In determining whether a child or youth is living in “substandard housing,” an LEA may consider whether the setting in which the family, child, or youth is living lacks one of the fundamental utilities such as water, electricity, or heat; is infested with vermin or mold; lacks a basic functional part such as a working kitchen or a working toilet; or may present unreasonable dangers to adults, children, or persons with disabilities. Each city, county, or State may have its own housing codes that further define the kind of housing that may be deemed substandard.

Guidance on minimal housing standards:
Adequate housing standards adapted from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

  • Home must have separate kitchen and bathroom
  • Kitchen must have functional stove or range with oven
  • Home must have food refrigeration
  • Kitchen must have space for storage, preparation and serving of food
  • Home must have hot and cold running water
  • As least one bathroom must have a bathtub or shower, flush toilet, sink, and ensure privacy
  • Bathrooms must have window or vent
  • Every sleeping room must have a window or door providing access to the outside
  • Security locks must be on all outside doors
  • Windows must have insect screens
  • All habitable rooms must have at least two electrical outlets
  • Dwellings must have proper heating facilities
  • Home must have a solid foundation
  • Home must provide shelter from the weather; roof does not leak
  • Home must be free from insects or rodent infestation
  • Home must be of adequate size; a single-family dwelling should house no more that five unrelated persons

Children and youths experiencing homelessnesshave the right to:

  • Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there;
  • Stay in the school that they were attending before being in transition, the school they last attended, or the local enrollment school if that is their choice and it is in the best interest of the child;
  • Enroll in school immediately, even if they do not have all the paperwork, such as school or medical records or any other documentation required by the school district to enroll;
  • Unaccompanied youths must be accorded specific protections, including immediate enrollment in school without proof of guardianship;
  • Be provided transportation to or from the child’s school of origin;
  • Access the same special programs and services that are provided to other children, including special education, migrant education and vocational education;
  • Receive the same public education that is provided to other children, including preschool where applicable. (Your child cannot be separated from the mainstream school environment because they are in transition. They cannot be segregated in a separate school, separate programs within a school, or separate settings within a school);
  • Parents, guardians, and unaccompanied youths have the right to dispute an eligibility, school selection, or enrollment decisions.

Many families experiencing homelessness don’t always know what resources and services are available to them, they don’t know what rights and protections their children have in school, and they don’t know where to go for help. We are here to help! If you are currently living in a homeless situation and do not have stable or adequate housing, your first step is to contact your local school district liaison.. If you are not able to reach your local liaison or if you need additional assistance or guidance, please contact the Homeless Education State Coordinator listed above.

If you are living in any of the following situations:

  • Shared housing with other friends or families.
  • Runaway/homeless youth, and students who are not living with a parent or legally court-appointed guardian.
  • Temporary or transitional housing.
  • Emergency and domestic violence shelters.
  • Motels or hotels.
  • Campgrounds or inadequate trailer homes.
  • Substandard housing (homes without heat, water, or working appliances).
  • Cars, abandoned buildings, parks, the streets or other public spaces.

We may be able to help you or your child:

  • Enroll in school.
  • Remain in your school if you move to another area.
  • Provide transportation to and from school.
  • Receive free school meals.
  • Provide clothing, school supplies and any other items required to attend school or participate in extracurricular activities.
  • Assist with school fees.
  • Social referrals.
  • Other services.
  • And much, much more.

If you are living in any of the following situations, you or your McKinney-Vento eligible children have the right to:

  • Receive a free, appropriate public education.
  • Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment.
  • Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents.
  • Enroll in the local school; or continue attending the school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is your preference. *If the school district believes that the school you select is not in the best interest of your children, then the district must provide you with a written explanation of its position and inform you of your right to appeal its decision.
  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this.
  • Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children’s needs. Children with special education needs between the ages of 3 and 21 are eligible to receive special needs services. If you believe your child may be eligible, contact your school or the district Special Education office.

Wyoming 211 or Dial 2-1-1
National Runaway Safeline or call (800) RUNAWAY
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call (800) 273-TALK
National Domestic Violence Hotline or call (800) 799-7233
National Human Trafficking Hotline or call (888) 373-7888
SchoolHouse Connection
National Center for Homeless Education
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth 
National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty
Food and Nutrition

Contact
Shannon Cranmore

Homeless Education State Coordinator

Parents