Homelessness

The Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) programDefinition of a Homeless Child/Youth is authorized under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, most recently re-authorized December 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

• A homeless child or youth ages 3-21
• A child who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes the following:
  • A child who is sharing the housing of others (includes doubled-up families) due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; is abandoned in a hospital
  • A child who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not desingated for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accomodation for human beings
  • A child who is living in a car, park, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
  • A migratory child/youth who qualifies as homeless because of the living circumstances described above
    • includes youth who have run away or youth being forced to leave home

Educational Rights of Homeless Youth
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, children in homeless situations have the right to:

• Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there;
• Attend either the local school or the school of origin, if this is in their best interest; the school of origin is the school the child attended when he/she was permanently housed, or the school in which the child was last enrolled;
• Receive transportation to and from the school of origin;
• Enroll in school immediately, even if missing records and documents normally required for enrollment such as a birth certificate, proof of residence, previous school records, or immunization/medical records;
• Enroll, attend classes, and participate fully in all school activities while the school arranges for transfer of records;
• Have access to the same programs and services that are available to all other students including transportation and supplemental educational services;
• Have access to free school meals/lunch programs;
• Attend school with children not experiencing homelessness; segregation based on a student’s status as homeless is prohibited

The homeless liaison for the Oskaloosa Community School District is Janet Johnson, OES counselor.