Contemporary Issues Facing Homeless Children and Youth

Children and youth experiencing homelessness often have to overcome numerous barriers to enrolling, attending, participating, and staying in school. Yet access to school for homeless children and youth means educational continuity and stability. The Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program under Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act guarantees equal access to free, appropriate public education and protects the rights of homeless children and youth to remain in the same school even after they move, to participate fully in school activities, and to receive transportation to and from school-related activities. The law also requires states and school districts to review and revise laws, policies, regulations, and practices that may act as a barrier to the education of homeless children and youth.

Unfortunately, many schools fail to appropriately implement and comply with this federal law. Only a few legal advocates are familiar with McKinney-Vento. Worse, many families and children experiencing homelessness are not aware of their rights under the law. Those who know do not have access to legal resources to help enforce their rights.

Additionally, homeless children and youth also encounter barriers outside school. There are laws and policies that create more barriers and further complicate homeless youths’ attempts to meet the basic necessities of life, impact their ability to access schools and obtain jobs, prevent them from receiving much-needed services and support, and impede their ability to break the vicious cycle of homelessness and poverty.

This course provides a broad overview of the legal issues and barriers homeless children and youth face, the challenges in meeting their complex and multidimensional needs, and ways to address them.

Learning Objectives:

I.     Learn about the different barriers homeless children and youth face inside and outside of school

II.    Understand how to properly enforce and implement the educational rights of homeless children and youth under McKinney-Vento and other education-related laws

III.   Examine laws and policies that affect unaccompanied homeless youth

IV.   Gain insight on different ways to advocate for protecting the rights and meeting the needs of homeless children and youth

V.    Examine the various intersections of youth homelessness and civil rights issues