McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance

Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and guidance provided by the New Hampshire Department of Education, the term “homeless children and youths” means “individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” This term includes: 

1. Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship, or a similar reason

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

3. Living in emergency or transitional shelters

4. Are abandoned in hospitals

5. Having a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place 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. Are migratory children living in conditions described in previous examples. 

School district policy JFABD: Admission of Homeless Students, works to ensure that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths attending its schools. Children awaiting foster care may also fall within this definition if they meet other criteria as set forth above. See also Board Policy JFABE: Education of Children in Foster Care.

Our district Homeless Liaison, Jocelyne Pinsonneault, is here to help. She can be reached at (603) 365-7111 or through email at: j.pinsonneault@sau26.org

Ms. Pinsonneault can coordinate with local social services agencies that provide services to homeless children and youths and their families, other school districts on issues of transportation and records transfers, and state and local housing agencies responsible for comprehensive housing affordability strategies. A more comprehensive list of the duties of Homeless Liaison can be found on page 4 of policy JFABD.