McKinney-Vento Education Act

Many families experience unemployment, job changes, or other circumstances that can cause the loss of a permanent home. The McKinney-Vento Education Program provides services for students in a transitional living situation.

The McKinney-Vento Act provides protections to children “who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” 

Student Eligibility

Students eligible for protections under this act are:

• Children sharing housing (living with friends or relatives) due to economic hardship, loss of housing, or similar reason
• Children living in “motels, hotels, RV parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative accommodations”
• Children living in “cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations”
• Children living in “emergency or transitional shelters”
• Runaways or youth rendered homeless by their parents
• Families living in a place that does not have appropriate accommodations (such as: lacks water, lacks electricity or heat, lacks working kitchen or bathroom, is infested with vermin or mold, presents danger to adults, children or persons with disabilities)
• Students not in physical custody of a parent or legal guardian and whose living arrangements are any of the above are included in the McKinney-Vento Act.