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McKinney-Vento Act: Students Navigating Houselessness Education Program

McKinney-Vento 2025-2028 Grant Award Recipients Selected

What is the purpose of the Education of Homeless Children & Youth (“EHCY”) Grant?

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was passed in 1987 and was most recently amended by Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (“ESSA”) in December 2015. Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act authorizes the federal grant program and serves as the primary federal legislation to remove barriers to education created by homelessness.

The U.S. Department of Education allocates EHCY funding to each state based on the state's share of Title I, Part A funds. States may retain up to 25% of the EHCY funding for state-level program administration and must subgrant at least 75% of the funds to Local Education Agencies (“LEAs”).

The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Grant is to supplement, not supplant, the existing resources and services provided to all students to eliminate the specific barriers to education for children and youth experiencing homelessness through ensuring their identification, enrollment, attendance, and academic success (42 U.S.C. § 11433(a)(3)).

McKinney-Vento 2025-28 Cohort

The McKinney-Vento Act for the Education of Houseless Children and Youth Program ensures that houseless children and youth are provided a free, appropriate public education, despite the lack of a fixed, regular, nighttime, adequate place of residence. A youth is considered unaccompanied if they are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. The state public school admission statute assuring the right of houseless and other children and youth in similar circumstances to enroll in schools is Oregon Revised Statute ORS 339.115(7).

Notwithstanding Oregon Revised Statute ORS 339.133 (2)(a), a school district shall not exclude from admission a child located in the district solely because the child does not have a fixed place of residence or solely because the child is not under the supervision of a parent, guardian or person in a parental relationship.

Each district McKinney-Vento Liaison must:

  • Collaborate with caseworkers, Resource parents, Tribes, and community partners 
  • Train school staff on their role in supporting students experiencing homelessness; 
  • and Engage with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) on matters of professional development and technical assistance.

McKinney-Vento Eligibility

​If your family lives in any of the following situations: 

  • In a shelter 
  • ​In a motel or campground due to the lack of an alternative adequate accommodation 
  • In a car, park, abandoned building, or bus or train station
  • Doubled up with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship 
  • Lack of a fixed, regular, nighttime, adequate place of residence 

Your school-age children may qualify for certain rights and protections under the federal McKinney-Vento Act. 

  • Receive a free, appropriate public education. 
  • Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment. 
  • Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents. 
  • Enroll in the local school; or continue attending their school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is your preference and is feasible. 
  • Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this. 
  • Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children’s needs. 
  • ​If the school district believes that the school you select is not in the best interest of your children, then the district must provide you with a written explanation of its position and inform you of your right to appeal its decision. 

An unaccompanied youth is defined as a school-aged youth or child who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. 

If you believe you or someone you know meets these requirements, please refer to the McKinney-Vento Contact List​ to connect with a district liaison in your area.



State School District McKinney-Vento Contacts

The Every Student Succeeds (ESSA) Act requires that all school districts identify a Point of Contact assigned to work with staff and provide assistance for students experiencing houselessness. Each school district in Oregon must also have a designated liaison tasked with overseeing the coordination and application of these supports. This is done through collaboration with caseworkers and other human services representatives, training staff within their districts on the unique needs of students navigating houselessness, and engaging with community organizations and agencies to ensure that students and families receive adequate services under ESSA/ESEA. See ODE's ESSA webpage for more details.

​ODE ​

​The McKinney-Vento support team runs a Contact list generated from the Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget Narrative (BN) monthly to maintain accuracy to the fullest extent possible. 

​Districts

  • Districts must submit their Program Contacts on the Continuous Improvement Plan Budget Narrative (CIP BN)​ via the Central Login Application on the ODE District Website.
    • It opens for the new school year on August 1st and is DUE by October 1st annually. 
    • Districts can refer to the CIP Budget Narrative Users Guide ​​ for more information.
    • Any updates submitted after the end of a school year and August 1 will not be reflected on the new SY Contacts list report, sourced from the CIP BN.
      • ​​
  • ​​Districts are responsible for updating the contact information as staff changes occur and ensuring assigned Points of Contact / Liaisons are aware of their role. 
  • Please connect with your District Security Administrator (DSA) if your district contact needs to be updated! 
    • ​​​ODE does not update district contacts, however, if you have a secondary contact for a program, you may email us with all header details to add someone.

Houseless Student Data

Data posted in this section (Counts of 1 to 5 students) have been suppressed to protect confidentiality. State totals are unduplicated, while other totals may include students identified more than once.


information for Mckinney-Vento liaisons, school districts and education service deistricts

Liaisons, Districts, & ESDs

Resources for All

Resources:
NCHE operates the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance and information center for the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program.​

Resources:

The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a non-partisan organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. We help build stronger and more resilient communities by advancing equitable, socially just, and evidence-based strategies and policies that are critical to ending homelessness. ​

​

Resources:

https://schoolhouseconnection.org​

Founded in 2016, SchoolHouse Connection is a national non-profit organization working to overcome homelessness through early care and education. SHC provides strategic advocacy and practical assistance in partnership with early childhood programs, schools, institutions of higher education, service providers, families, and youth.

Resources:
  • Oregon Housing and Community Services - Continuum of Care (CoC) - Oregon The Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Agency originated the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. The CoC program promotes a community-wide commitment to end homelessness. It provides funding for nonprofit providers. It also funds State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families. Provider agencies strive to:
    • Minimize the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities
    • Promote access to and use mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families
    • Optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
  • Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education Immunizations 
    Oregon’s immunization requirements help make sure every child has the opportunity to get caught up on needed vaccines each year.

    Every state has laws requiring vaccination to go to school. School and child care staff are partners in keeping kids healthy and free of vaccine-preventable diseases. These laws and partnership have been very effective at stopping the spread of disease in the classroom
    and community.​​​
  • ​NeighborImpact (formerly Central Oregon Community Action Agency Network COCAAN) 
    Founded in 1985, NeighborImpact is a private not for profit organization which serves all of Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. We envision a Central Oregon where residents, regardless of their income status, have hope and optimism, and have access to community resources that see them through times of need.

    NeighborImpact provides a diversity of services that not only meet basic human needs for food and shelter, but also enrich people’s lives by providing access to increased education, skills, and hope for the future. Services assist people to become more independent and self-sufficient, recognizing there is a continuum of support that all people need throughout their life.
ODE Webpages

Resources:
  • ​ McKinney-Vento Wildfire FAQs - Responses to frequent questions from districts on how McKinney-Vento applies to students and families displaced by disasters such as wildfires.

  • Oregon Wildfire & Recovery - Stay safe, stay informed and stay connected. Access resources before, during and after wildfires.​ Sign up for emergency alerts.

  • Oregon Housing and Community Services | ReOregon -Established by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)​ and is a program under OHCS’ Disaster Recovery and Resilience (DRR) Division. ReOregon was created in response to the 2020 Labor Day Disasters, which was a series of wildfires lasting several months that caused widespread devastation across multiple counties in Oregon. The program is dedicated to restoring communities, enhancing resilience, and improving economic stability.

Resources:

Identifying and Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness from Pre-School to Post-Secondary Ages​​ - US Department of ​Education guidance.​

U.S. Department of Education, Identifying and Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness from Pre-School to Post-Secondary Ages​​ ​- Identifying and Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness from Pre-School to Post-Secondary Ages​​

National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) - Under federal contract, NCHE provides technical assistance, webinars, topical briefs, and toolkits for school district Homeless Liaisons and State Coordinators.​

SchoolHouse Connection (SHC) - A national organization providing strategic advocacy and technical assistance for McKinney-Vento Education programs in partnership with early childhood programs, public schools, higher education, service providers, families and youth.​

National Homeless Law Center (NHLC) - Their mission is to prevent and end homelessness by serving as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness.​​​

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) - A membership organization for McKinney-Vento program staff sponsoring annual national conference.​




For additional information regarding McKinney-Vento, contact ODE Statewide Coordinator for Houseless and Unaccompanied Youth, Lexi Neemann, at or-mv@ode.oregon.gov or call 971-208-1777.