Every school serves students facing challenges we might not be able to see right away. For some students, those challenges include uncertainty over where they’ll sleep tonight.
According to the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), roughly 2.5% of all students in U.S. public schools experience homelessness each year—and that’s likely an undercount. It can be tricky to know which students meet the criteria because of the misunderstandings around what those criteria are and who qualifies.
Learning how to better identify and support these students is crucial. Housing insecurity burdens students with instability, fear, and barriers to learning.
Here are five steps to take in your approach to better identify, support, and empower students experiencing homelessness.
1. Understand What “Homelessness” Means under McKinney-Vento
Homelessness isn’t always visible.
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, students are experiencing homelessness if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. That includes families or youth who are:
- Living in cars, motels, shelters, or campgrounds
- “Couch surfing” between homes
- Staying in overcrowded or unsafe housing
- Living without heat, running water, or stability
“One thing that is really overlooked by a lot of people is housing that is adequate. By that we mean ‘Is it safe for both the mental and physical needs of the students?’” — Kenya Haynes, Program Specialist for the NCHE
It’s also important to note that it is not a student’s responsibility to disclose their situation. Under federal law, schools must take proactive steps to identify, enroll, and support these students. This includes students who may have dropped out of school because of their housing situation.
Students who meet this definition of homelessness are eligible for the rights enshrined under the McKinney-Vento Act, including access to assistance with transportation, meals, educational services, etc.
2. Recognize That Homelessness Isn’t Just an Urban Issue
To effectively identify and support students who might be experiencing homelessness, it’s important to separate the idea of homelessness from common stereotypes. Homelessness affects students in every type of community—rural, suburban, and urban alike.
A comprehensive, national study conducted by the Voices of Youth Count research team at Chaplin Hall showed that rates of youth homelessness were nearly identical in rural and urban areas.
Because rural communities may lack shelters or formal services, families experiencing homelessness might instead sleep in cars, RVs, or temporarily with relatives. This reduces the visibility of homelessness in these areas, but not the reality.
Schools in smaller communities can play an even more vital role by recognizing the signs and connecting families to resources that may exist outside the school system.
For a deeper dive into McKinney-Vento protections and practical examples from the field, listen to the School Safety Today episode featuring NCHE’s Kenya Haynes and Raptor’s own Dr. Amy Grosso: How to Assist Students Experiencing Homelessness
Listen in on Apple Podcasts/Spotify/RaptorTech.com
3. Empower Every Staff Member to Notice and Respond
Homelessness awareness isn’t just a counselor’s or a teacher’s responsibility. Every adult in a school community interacts with students in ways that can reveal hidden needs. For instance, bus drivers often see what teachers and administrators cannot just by the nature of their work.
To strengthen awareness, consider:
- Adding housing stability questions to registration packets. Simple surveys can help identify families that may need assistance.
- Training staff on McKinney-Vento definitions and warning signs. A comprehensive resource, like Raptor EmployeeSafe, powered by PublicSchoolWORKS, provides regular, up-to-date training to keep staff informed and aware.
- Encouraging all staff to log concerns. Access to a secure, centralized system like Raptor StudentSafe empowers all staff to confidentially submit and track any concerns. This can help spot patterns of behavior and provide support and intervention to students who need it.
Even small, compassionate acts, like noticing a pattern, asking gently, or connecting a student to a support person, can make the difference between a student remaining isolated and receiving help.
4. Connect with Your District’s Homeless Education Liaison
Through the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program (EHCY), every school district in the U.S. is required to appoint a local homeless education liaison. This person ensures that students experiencing homelessness can:
- Enroll immediately, even without full records
- Access transportation and free meals
- Receive tutoring or academic support
- Stay connected to the same school despite moves
Educating school district staff about how to better identify and support students who are eligible for services under McKinney-Vento is part of their role.
If you’re unsure who your liaison is, you can find the contact list on your state Department of Education website. Building a relationship with your district’s EHCY liaison can open doors to resources for both students and staff.
5. See Beyond Behavior and Lead with Compassion
Instability at home directly affects how a student learns, behaves, and interacts at school. Students experiencing homelessness often score lower on standardized tests and graduate at lower rates, even compared to peers living in poverty with stable housing.
“If you don’t have a place to sleep, where are you going to do your homework? How are you going to access technology? These students [also] experience more illness than other students. It impacts everything.” — Kenya Haynes, Program Specialist for the NCHE
Hunger, exhaustion, or anxiety can look like defiance, but when educators respond to behavior with empathy, they can uncover needs that otherwise might go unnoticed.
Homelessness is not a character flaw or a family failure. It’s a circumstance, often temporary, that demands compassion, not judgment.
Building a Compassionate Framework to Support Every Student
Supporting students experiencing homelessness requires awareness, coordination, and compassion across the entire school community.
Through training on the definition and warning signs of homelessness as well as the resources available to help identify and support students going through it, educators can remove barriers that keep students from learning and thriving.
When schools lead with empathy and respond with informed action, they help ensure every student, regardless of housing status, has the support they need to succeed.
Download our whitepaper, A Closer Look at Homelessness in K-12 Education, for more insights into student homelessness, its prevalence and effects, and how school leaders can ensure compliance with McKinney-Vento to better support affected students.
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