About Student in Transition Services

The McKinney-Vento Act, part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, guarantees homeless children and youth an education equal to what they would receive if not homeless.

Who is Homeless?

According to the McKinney-Vento Act, children and youth experiencing homelessness are defined as individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes the following situations: 

• Sharing the housing of others (known as "doubling-up") due to loss of housing or economic hardship
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Abandoned in hospitals
• Awaiting foster-care placement
• Living in a nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation
• Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or other similar settings 

The McKinney-Vento Act also recognizes unaccompanied youth who are experiencing homelessness. According to the Act, an unaccompanied youth is a youth not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian.