The mission of the Department of Public Instruction Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program is to ensure educational equity and success for students experiencing homelessness by providing support under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which defines homeless children and youths as those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Examples within the law include children and youth in the following situations:

• sharing housing due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
• living in hotels, motels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to a lack of alternative adequate housing;
• living in emergency or transitional shelters;
• abandoned in hospitals;
• living in a public or private place not designated for, or normally used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar places; and/or
• living in one of the above circumstances and who are migratory.

McKinney-Vento supports include:

• ability for homeless students to continue to attend their school or origin (the school they have been previously attending)
• assessment of needed transportation support to/from the school of origin
• authorization of free school meals
• waiving of school fees
• access to educational materials/supplies
• assistance overcoming any school enrollment barriers
• linking to community resources, support, and services 

AASD Homeless Liaison