Homeless Youth Awareness Month

November was first declared as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in 2007. Since then, November has been a time to acknowledge those children and families experiencing homelessness. As many as 2.5 million youth per year experience homelessness. Along with losing their home, community, friends, and routines as well as their sense of stability and safety, many homeless youth are also victims of trauma. While trying to survive on the streets, youth are exposed to countless dangers, with an increased likelihood of substance abuse, early parenthood, impulsivity, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and a vulnerability to being trafficked.

Children and youth who meet the criteria of being homeless, even if unaccompanied by a guardian, must be given full and equal access to an appropriate public education and success in the educational program. The permanency and adequacy of the housing conditions will be considered when determining if a student qualifies.

The School District of Springfield Township considers students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, as experiencing homelessness. This includes children and youth who are: sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason; living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a sleeping accommodation by human beings; living in cars, abandoned buildings, substandard housing or similar situations; living as refugee or migratory children due to circumstances like those described above; or abandoned or forced out of homes by parents, guardians or caretakers

Unaccompanied youth also fall under this category and can be described as a youth not in the physical custody of a legal parent or guardian and youth living on their own in any of the homeless situations described above.

These children and youth may enroll in:

• Their school of origin, defined as the school where the student attended when permanently housed or in which the student was last enrolled.

• Any school that non-homeless students who live in the attendance area in which the child or youth experiencing homelessness is actually living are eligible to attend (new neighborhood school).

An unaccompanied homeless youth with a disability may also need to have a surrogate parent appointed by the District if the youth has no one to serve in this role.

For additional information regarding McKinney-Vento, please contact your child’s school counselor or social worker.

The following situations meet the criteria for homelessness:

1. Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship.

2. Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations.

3. Living in emergency, transitional or domestic violence shelters.

4. Abandoned in hospitals.

5. Living in public or private places not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for

human beings.

6. Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, transportation stations or similar

settings.

7. Living as migratory children in conditions described in previous examples.

8. Abandoned or forced out of homes by parents/guardians or caretakers.

9. Student has been identified as receiving foster or kinship care by a case manager

• Board Policy #251

• Board Policy #255

• Education for Homeless Youth

• McKinney-Vento BEC

• Homeless Liaison Toolkit

• Right to Education

• McKinney-Vento Law

• McKinney-Vento Dispute Information

• Homelessness Fact Sheet for Kindergarten Through Grade 2
• Homelessness Fact Sheet for Students in Grades 3 Through 5
• Homelessness Fact Sheet for Middle School Students
• Homelessness Fact Sheet for High School Students