DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR MCKINNEY-VENTO RIGHTS AND SERVICES

HETAC Resources

Statutes and Guidance: The McKinney-Vento Definition of Homelessness

This HETAC webpage shares the definition of homelessness used by U.S. public schools, as established under Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Other Resources

National Center for Homeless Education: Determining McKinney-Vento Program Eligibility webpage

This NCHE webpage provides informational and practical resources on determining student eligibility for McKinney-Vento rights and services. Spotlight resources include:
⁃ Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services issue brief
⁃ McKinney-Vento Eligibility Determinations Flowchart decision-making tool
⁃ Unaccompanied Youth Eligibility Flowchart decision-making tool

SchoolHouse Connection: Determining McKinney-Vento Eligibility: Guiding Questions for Liaisons

This SchoolHouse Connection webpage provides guiding questions that local homeless education liaisons can use to gather information about a student's possible McKinney-Vento eligibility in a sensitive, supportive, and confidential manner. 

SchoolHouse Connection: Federal Education Definition of Homeless flyer

This SchoolHouse Connection flyer summarizes the four primary nighttime residence categories included in the McKinney-Vento education definition of homeless: Shelters/Transitional Housing, Hotels/Motels, Staying with Others (“Doubling Up”), and Unsheltered.

Sample Materials

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: Sample Questions to Ask the Students or Parents for Information Gathering

This one-pager from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provides questions designed to assist in gathering information from families or youth to determine the extent to which their living arrangement is fixed, regular, and adequate.