MCKINNEY-VENTO ACT
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law which provides educational support for students who
are experiencing homelessness. Children in housing transition have certain rights under this Act, including the right
to immediate enrollment in school and transportation to and from school.
HOMELESS DEFINITION
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, certain living situations are considered to be homeless that may not typically be
recognized as homeless situations. The term “homeless children and youth” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. As described by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001*, this includes:
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Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
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Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations
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Are living in emergency or transitional shelters
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Abandoned in hospitals
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Having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodations for human beings
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Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
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Migratory children who qualify as homeless for the within the purposes previously described
*McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 - Reauthorized December 10, 2015 by Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (Effective October 1, 2016)
STUDENT RIGHTS
A full version of the McKinney-Vento Act may be found HERE: