Links verified and updated July 28, 2011
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act provides the following definition of homelessness as it relates to children and youths: individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, specifically:
- children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement
- children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a 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
- migratory children who are living in circumstances described above
What are these children's rights when it comes to their schooling?
The educational rights of Allegheny County children who are homeless and of all children experiencing homelessness in the United States are secured by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Act, originally signed into law in July 1987 and regularly reaffirmed and amended, included authorization of the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program. The critically important 1994 amendment "provided local educational authorities with greater flexibility in the use of funds; specified the rights of preschoolers to a free and appropriate public preschool education; gave parents a voice regarding their children's school placement; and required educational authorities to coordinate with housing authorities."
- Children must be allowed to remain in the school they were attending before becoming homeless and for the entire time they are homeless, even if they move from place to place.
- The school district must arrange transportation for children who choose to remain at their school of origin but have moved outside that school's boundaries. This may require a long bus ride for the child.
- Children must be enrolled without delay, even if they lack necessary documentation or immunization records.
- Children cannot be segregated from peers solely because of their residential status.
- School districts are mandated to hire/train a homeless liaison to coordinate services and ensure compliance with federal/state mandates.
See The Education Law Center's list of publications on residency and enrollment and specifically the Fact Sheet: The Right of Homeless Children to Attend School.
See also the March 2010 news release on a suit the two organizations brought against the Carlynton School District (PA) that "ensures the continued enrollment of homeless children and significantly revises Pennsylvania state policies to better protect the rights of homeless students."
Other useful resources:
The U.S. Department of Human Services (HUD) has submitted to the Congress of the United States its Sixth Annual Homeless Assessment Report (2011), which reports data from 2010. Among its key nationwide findings are these: 335,371 children and 14,678 unaccompanied youth spent at least one night in emergency or transitional housing in 2010. More persons in families are using shelters than ever before, especially in suburban and rural areas. Of sheltered persons in families across the country, 59% were children and 55% of the children were 5 and under. On a single night in January 2010 there were 649,917 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people nationwide.
Locally, the National Center for Homeless Education at the Serve Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, has recorded that the number of children homeless in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania jumped by 55% from 2007-08 to 2009-10. In the nine western Pennsylvania counties the Allegheny Intermediate Unit serves, the number of children experiencing homelessness increased by 23% – from about 1,800 children to 2,200. Because of the transient nature of homelessness exact totals are difficult to calculate and under-reporting inevitably occurs.
The Serve Center has determined that in Pennsylvania the primary nighttime residence for those who are homeless are as follows: 49% are "doubled up" (living with relatives or friends and subject to being "kicked out"), 43% are in homeless housing facilities, 6% are living in inexpensive hotels or motels, and 2% are unsheltered.
The Poverty Tour and Quiz first posted in 2008 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is being updated for 2012. Watch for an updated link here.
This link will take you to information about the acclaimed documentary My Own Four Walls, in which children and teens talk about what it means to be homeless. The DVD is available for purchase at this site.
View this CBS 60 Minutes "Hard times generation: homeless kids" report that aired Sunday, March 6, 2011. A follow-up story was aired November 27, 2011, and focuses on families living in their cars. See also the ABC News broadcast from January 28, 2011, about
"unaccompanied teenagers": that is, teens who are homeless
See also these published resources:
Homelessness Comes to School by Joseph Murphy and Kerri Tobin (2011, Corwin Press)
At Home on the Street: People, Poverty & a Hidden Culture of Homelessness by James Wasserman and Michael Clair) (
Culturally Proficient Education: An Asset-Based Response to Conditions of Poverty by Randall B. Lindsay, Michelle S. Karns, Keith Myatt (2010, Corwin Press)
What Educators Can Do: Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (2004,Project Hope - Virginia)
Teaching With Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It by E. Jensen (2009, Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development)
Serving Homeless Students: A Practical Guide to Title 1 and Other Federal Programs by S.D. Sparks and J.C. Sweeney (2009 Horsham, Pa: LRP Publications
"Underperforming Schools and the Education of Vulnerable Children" by Lisa Walker and Cheryl Smithgall (2009 University of Chicago)
Mary Ellen Flannery lead article for the January 2009 NEA Today Magazine — "How do you assign homework to a kid without a home?", which begins: "You can't practice the violin in a homeless shelter. Not really, not if you don't want to wake the babies — and you don't want to wake the babies." You also can't sleep yourself. One teacher reported of her student: ". . . after weeks of shelter noises and nightmares, she could barely keep her head off the desk" Flannery quotes Wendy Giebink, a long-time homeless liaison: "A second-grader in a motel isn't on a vacation" and Jody Tompros, a director of transitional housing: "Homelessness is like a death and they are grieving" and Paige Swanson, middle school counselor: "Homeless children have been disappointed so many times they won't take stock in anybody's words. You've got to let them trust again." But as Paige's supervisor Kim Snell observed: "We have gifted homeless children, very talented homeless children. We have homeless children with great dreams and expectations for their lives, and they achieve them. We don't need to feel sorry for them. We just need to assist them in the ways that we can. We don't need to have the same expectations for everybody, but have expectations based on the very best that each child can achieve."
Personal accounts of homelessness include Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America by Tiny - aka Lisa Gray-Garcia - (2006), City Lights Foundation Books; and The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls (2005), Scribners.
Some useful definitions
Emergency shelter: a refuge and care facility for persons who are in immediate need of housing and are homeless (having no permanent legal residence of their own).
Bridge housing: a transitional service that allows persons who are in temporary housing to move to supportive long-term living arrangements while preparing to live independently. Penn Free Bridge housing is a one-year transitional housing and case management service that allows persons who are in temporary housing and who have drug and/or alcohol problems to move to supportive living arrangements while preparing to live independently.
Permanent housing: permanent housing for persons with disabilities (typically, but not exclusively, those with a mental illness and the disease of addiction). This is community-base, long-term housing with supportive services designed to enable persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible in a permanent setting.
Want to learn more?
Find these .pdf-formatted fact sheets at the National Coalition for the Homeless (links updated August 2009):
The National Coalition for the Homeless is an advocacy network of persons who are homeless, activists, service providers, and others committed to ending homelessness through education, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and technical assistance. It co-sponsors the annual National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week each November) with the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. The Coalition's website includes information about homelessness, legislative efforts, and the programs of the NCH, as well as a library, directory, and a host of Internet resources.
Wondering what you can do about homelessness? Here are NCH's suggestions. If you are a resident of southwestern Pennsylvania or a business operating in the region, consider becoming a partner or volunteer with HCEF through the donation of your contributions and/or your time.
The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty based in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh's Education Law Center of Pennsylvania effectively protect the rights of people who are homeless and implement solutions to end homelessness in American through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education. The Education Law Center of Pennsylvania (with offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia)focuses on ensuring ready access to public education for children who are poor and/or homeless, children of color, children with disabilities, English language learners, children in foster homes and institutions, and others.
Other helpful sites
Children’s Defense Fund Dedicated to Leave No Child Behind by providing a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote or lobby for themselves. Contains a comprehensive overview of each of CDF’s five major issue areas, information about their activities and programs, and extensive 2008 data for each state, including Pennsylvania.
HEAR US A nonprofit advocacy organization that "gives voice and visibility to homeless children, youth and families."
Institute for Children and Poverty A nonprofit research and development organization founded in New York City in 1990. Its focus is on family homelessness, public policy, data collection, research on the causes of homelessness, and public awareness. Though based in New York City, ICP works with organizations across the United States to conduct and disseminate research on families experiencing homelessness.
Kids Voice Founded in 1908 as the Legal Aid Society of Pittsburgh. Provides full-service, multi-dimensional advocacy for vulnerable children. Teams attorneys with in-house experts in social work, mental health, education, child development, case management, and substance abuse services.
National Alliance to End Homelessness Nonprofit membership organization dedicated to solving the problems of homelessness and to preventing its continued growth. Site contains information on programs; practices; legislation; a bibliography of fact sheets, statistics, and reports; and suggestions for advocacy.
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) National membership association linking educators, parents, advocates, and researchers to serve as the voice and the social conscience for the education of children and youth in homeless situations. Make a point of regularly visiting the Legislative Update to learn about bills presented to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate addressing the issues of children and education. Take time also to peruse NAECHY's
Frequently Asked Questions on the Education Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations – Updated November 2009, a most valuable and to-the-point outlining of each of these rights. The document includes a detailed index to each unique Question. See also A Critical Moment: Child & Youth Homelessness in Our Nation's Schools and publications.
National Center for Children in Poverty
(NCCP) This non-profit public policy and research center is a division of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City. It's mission is to promote the "economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children." Read on line or download the December 2009 paper, Ten Important Questions About Child Poverty and Family Economic Hardship and see also Child poverty publications
National Center on Family Homelessness offers a report on "America'a Youngest Outcasts." The report includes state-by-state data. See also the organization's principal site, which includes an opportunity to sign-up for it's newsletter.
National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE Website provides access to the McKinney-Vento Act and numerous resources on the educational rights of children and youth who are homeless. See especially: The Educational Rights of Children Living in Homeless Situations: What Service Providers Should Know. Also available are posters outlining the rights of parents and students and the obligations of schools districts: youth poster in English and in Spanish.
National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness Co-sponsors the annual National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week with the National Coalition for the Homeless. Committed to ending hunger and homelessness in America by educating, engaging, and training students to directly meet individuals’ immediate needs while advocating for long-term systemic solutions. Students from 29 Pennsylvania colleges and universities volunteer through NSCAHH. Follow the home page link to Students in Action and Participating schools.
Peoples Emergency Center [PEC] in Philadelphia provides comprehensive supportive services to women and their children experiencing homelessness, works to revitalize its West Philadelphia neighborhood, and advocates for social justice.
Stand Up For Kids National, not-for-profit organization founded in 1990 to help rescue youth who are homeless and living on the streets.
The United States Conference of Mayors - the Voice of America's Mayors in Washington, D.C. has published its annual Hunger and Homelessness Survey, December 2010. The organization is the official nonpartisan organization of 1,139 U.S. cities with a population of 30,000 or more. (Philadelphia was a participant in the survey.) This 27-state survey serves as a status report of hunger and homeless in America's cities. It is obviously not representative of all cities of this size. (The entire list of cities surveyed is listed near the end of the document.) Interestingly, families with children named as the main cause of their homelessness: (1) unemployment, (2) lack of affordable housing, (3) poverty, (4) domestic violence, and (5) low-paying jobs.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Pennsylvania (HUD) offers numerous useful links to homeless services and resources in the state. The site is available in Spanish as well as English. Also see HUD's 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress released in 2011.
(4/24/12)
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