Homeless Assistance

Students Experiencing Housing Instability (Education Codes: 48853.5, 48911, 48915.5, 48918.1)

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) (42 U.S.C. § 11431-11435) is federal legislation that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youths experiencing homelessness. It requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that students experiencing homelessness have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschools, as provided to other children and youths. The McKinney-Vento Act defines LEAs as public school districts, direct-funded and locally funded charter schools, and county offices of education. The McKinney-Vento Act also authorizes the funding for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program.

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youths as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
Children and youths who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, and shelters
Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above.

LGUSD is committed to educating students who meet the guidelines under McKinney-Vento. For additional information and support, please contact your school office or Sarah Tellez at 408-335-2028 or [email protected]