Children and Youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

• Fixed- stationary, permanent, not subject to change

• Regular- used on a regular nightly basis

• Adequate- sufficient for both meeting the physical and psychological needs for typical home environments

This includes children and youth who are living:

• Doubled Up- sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason

• In Temporary Shelters- motels, hotels, camp grounds, emergency shelters, transitional shelters

• In Vehicles/Outdoors- cars, bus, parks, public spaces,

• In Inadequate Housing- substandard housing

• Migratory- due to one of the above circumstances

The Homeless Liaison determines whether a student meets the McKinney Vento definition of Homeless.

• Every year, LEAs must capture living arrangements of every student enrolled.  This is typically done through a Student Residency Questionnaire (SRQ) sent at the beginning of the school year or when a student enrolls. 

• Using the SRQ English | Spanish, the Homeless Liaison makes the determination of whether a student meets the McKinney Vento definition.  

Resources to assist LEAs in identifying students experiencing homelessness:

• Checklist for Identifying Students Experiencing Homelessness

• Confirming Eligibility for McKinney Vento Services: Do's and Don'ts for Local Liaisons

• Checklist for LEA Services to Children and Youth in Homeless and Highly Mobile Situations

Students Experiencing Homelessness Have Rights and Services, including:

• Enrollment- the right to immediate enrollment even if documents normally required are not available

• School of Origin- the right to attend the school where the child or youth was permanently housed or the last school enrolled

• Transportation- the right to receive transportation to and from their school of origin, including all feeder schools to the school of origin

• Educational Stability- the right to have full and equal educational opportunity to meet the academic and state achievement requirements as their non-homeless peers

• Educational Services- the right to receive educational services for which the student is eligible including Head Start and preschool programs

• Parent Engagement- the right for parents to be informed of educational opportunities and participate through meaningful engagement in the education of their child or youth

• Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY)

• Texas Education Agency (TEA)

• National Association for Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY)

• National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)

• Texas Network Of Youth Services (TNOYS)

• SchoolHouse Connection

• Head Start ECLKC

• United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)