In 1987, Congress passed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Subtitle B of Title VII of this Act entitled, Education for Homeless Children and Youth, has been amended and is now part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title X, Part C. Under the NCLB Amendments (Sec. 725), the phrase "homeless children and youths" means individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.

The Basic Education Circular: Education for Homeless Youth 42 U.S.C. 11431 dated February 29, 2008, explains the categories of children who are "homeless" and entitled to protections of the federal law. These categories include children and youths who are:

Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to alternative adequate accommodations
Living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals
Individuals and/or families living with relatives or friends due to loss of housing.
Awaiting foster care placement: including those who live in shelters or are placed in emergency, interim or respite foster care; kinship care; evaluation or diagnostic centers or placements for the sole purpose of evaluation
Primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarilly used for regular sleeping accommodations for human beings such as living in a vehicle, park, public space, or an abandoned building
Living in substandard housing
Migratory children who qualify as homeless
"Unaccompanied homeless youth" including any child who is "not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian" (42 U.S.C. 1143a (6)). This includes youth who have run away from home, been thrown out of their home, been abandoned by parents or guardians, or separated from their parent for any reason

Mechanicsburg Area School District

Homeless

Support for Students and Families Experiencing Homelessness

Identification of Homelessness

Immediate School Enrollment

Access to Supports and Services

Who is Homeless?

Additional resources

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