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 The term "homeless children and youths"—
(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and
(B) includes—
(i) 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 adequate
accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters;
(ii) 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
(within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C));
(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks,
public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or
train stations, or similar settings; and
(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section
1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who
qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the
children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i)
through (iii). Typically, a homeless
situation that we encounter for school-aged youth is the product of
a fire or other disaster displacement; a domestic situation, or an
eviction. Often families have to ‘double-up’ at a friend or family
residence; the displaced school-aged members of the family are
considered homeless in all of these situations under MKV .
Homeless outreach workers from the Regional Office respond to
referrals from Logan County schools when they identify a homeless
student/family situation and work with the schools and families to
determine what supports are needed. Sometimes it is simply
facilitating transportation if the family is displaced to a
different district temporarily to ensure that the students have a
continuity of process and learning in their current school. Other
instances include arranging temporary housing at a hotel for
families who are displaced and have no other options or resources to
achieve a stable housing situation immediately.
According to the National Center for Homeless Education, the
national average of students considered eligible for McKinney Vento
Act (MKV) services falls in the eight to 10% range of students
eligible for free-reduced lunch. In Logan County, this results in
approximately 116 of the registered 3,132 students being our
targeted number experiencing homelessness. The actual number of
students experiencing homelessness will vary from year to year.
Our targeted number of Logan County students has been on a decline
since the beginning of the 2020 school year when COVID started,
ending that year with a 37% decrease from the previous school year
in identifying students and their families. Logan County schools
have faced barriers in ensuring students are accounted for and
receiving appropriate services when remote learning was in place in
the last school year, as some families simply did not return/enroll
in school.
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