• Homeless children and youth must have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youth?

• Any requirements in laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the identification, enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth must be eliminated?

The first Federal law to directly impact the education of students experiencing homelessness was enacted in 1987 as part of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. The McKinney Act, which originally contained 15 programs designed to address the needs of homeless persons, contained a subtitle with the purpose of ensuring that children and youth experiencing homelessness could enroll in school without barriers. Since the initial passage, the homeless education law has been reauthorized with stronger and more specific requirements for State educational agencies (SEAs) and LEAs to ensure the immediate enrollment, school stability, and academic support needed to increase the educational success of homeless children and youth.

Homeless children and youth face many educational barriers due to the disruption and trauma of not having a fixed, regular, and adequate place to live. Most face educational disruption due to changing schools as they move from one temporary location to another. Homeless children and youth also have higher incidences of illness, depression, and exposure to violence than their stably housed peers. Specific educational challenges faced by homeless students include

•   not being identified for services;

• difficulty enrolling without records or, in the case of an unaccompanied homeless youth, without a parent or guardian present;

• difficulty regularly attending school;

• lack of stable transportation;

• frequent school changes;

• falling behind in school;

• not accruing credits on time;

• lack of basic needs including food, clothing, and adequate housing;

• stress, depression, trauma; and

• embarrassment and stigma related to their housing conditions.

 Many homeless youth are also unaccompanied, meaning they are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. Being both homeless and unaccompanied leaves youth fending for themselves in a world where they are vulnerable to a myriad of potentially life-threatening dangers (NCHE Local Liaison Toolkit: Overview and History).

If you or someone you know may qualify, contact Miguel Segura, the districts liaison at 541.372.2275 ext. 4436 or submit our online form.