Homeless Services
The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." The act provides examples of children who would fall under this definition:
- Children and youth sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason
- Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
- Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters
- Children and youth abandoned in hospitals
- Children and youth whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc)
- Children and youth living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations
- Migratory children and youth living in any of the above situations
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, students:
- Receive a free public education
- May enroll in school immediately, even if they lack documents normally required for enrollment
- Attend classes while the school gathers missing documents
- Enroll in the school closest to the or the school they were last enrolled in (school of origin), even if the child has been forced to relocate
- Receive transportation to and from the school of origin
- Receive all the same educational services other students receive, even if the child can't pay
- Participate in before and after school programs
- Receive counseling
- Receive free breakfast and lunch
- Participate in special education, bilingual vocational and gifted programs if qualified
- Receive school supplies
- Receive extra academic support through Title I funding
- Receive evaluation for any disabilities
How To Qualify For Services:
- Talk to your school counselor
The counselor will complete an intake form which will identify your child's needs and any community resources available to them. - Complete the housing questionnaire
- Contact the district's McKinney-Vento liaison, Assistant Director of State & Federal Programs Amy Kohn for any additional assistance or Mindy Thomas, secretary of State & Federal Programs at (509) 967-6055.
Amy Kohn
Assistant Director, State & Federal Programs
(509) 967-6363
Amy.Kohn@rsd.edu