Homeless Resources
Resources for Outreach to Families, Children, and Youth who are Homeless: McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 states: (3) Child Find (A) In General All children with disabilities residing in the State, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State and children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated and a practical method is developed and implemented to determine which children with disabilities are currently receiving needed special education services.

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Special Education Programs
Early Childhood Conference, December 12, 2005
This presentation was prepared by Kala Shah Surprenant, Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Education.
IDEA 2004 Early Identification and Child Find Under Part C:
(Revised Sections 631, 634(1), 635(a)(2), 635(a)(6), 635(c)(2)(G), 637(a)(6)(A) and (B), 637(b)(7)), and 641 as well as Part B section 612(a)(3))
1) Homeless: Ensuring early intervention services are made available to all children in the State including homeless children (Sections 634(1) and 635(a)(2));
a) No residency requirement: Under Section 634(1), the State must make Part C services available to all eligible children living within the State even if a child or his or her family have not yet established residency under State law. 
b) SICC Representation: Section 641 requires one SICC member be a representative from the State’s Office of the Coordinator of Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
c) New definition of “homeless children” under IDEA Section 602(11) refers to definition of “homeless children and youths” under Section 725 of the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act (at 42 U.S.C. 11434a).

McKinney-Vento Definition of "Homeless"
Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act) defines "homeless" as follows:
The term "homeless children and youths"--
(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and
(B) includes--
(i) children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
(ii) children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C));
(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).

Michigan Resources for Homelessness:
1) Michigan’s 10 Year Plan to end Homelessness
2) Michigan Homeless Related Links
3) Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness
4) Michigan: Demographics of Young, Poor Children

National Resources for Homelessness:
1) National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) 1-800-308-2145
2) aha! Process, Inc.
3) National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
4) National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
5) National Coalition for the Homeless

Documents to Download:
Celebrate 20 Years of the McKinney-Vento Act
Copy of MSHDA Continuum of Care Contact List
FAQ Homeless
Highly Mobile Policies and Practices in Five States
Homeless and It's Effects on Children - Executive Summary
Homeless and Young Children: Early Childhood Care and Education
Homeless LEA Liasons
Homeless Education Liasons 2007-2008
Homeless Supportive Children
IDEA Act of 2004: Provisions for Homeless Children and Youth with Disabilities
McKinney-Vento Act
Remembering 20 Years of McKinney-Vento (Milestones)
No Child Left Behind: Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act