The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that works to ensure educational stability for homeless youth. The McKinney-Vento act allows homeless students to enroll in school and receive transportation without delay. The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” Examples of children who fall under this definition include, but are not limited to:

1. Children sharing housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing;
2. Children living in “motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations”
3. Children living in “emergency or transitional shelters”
4. Children “awaiting foster care placement”
5. Children whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc.)
6. Children living in “cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations…”