The mission of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE’s) Homeless Education Program is to ensure that every child and youth experiencing homelessness receives free, appropriate, public educational opportunities; to provide training and support to schools, shelters and the community; and to increase awareness about the issues experienced by children, youth and families experiencing homelessness. Children and youth experiencing homelessness should have equal access to the same educational opportunities and services as permanently housed children and youth. In addition, children and youth experiencing homelessness should have the opportunity to meet the same challenging academic achievement standards to which all students are held. To ensure that families experiencing homelessness are well supported and that appropriate funds are provided to support students, OSSE regularly shares information regarding student status with schools in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Funding for programs and resources to support students experiencing homelessness is provided through federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education (MKV) grants and American Rescue Plan - Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) grants to local education agencies (LEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs). HEP also develops state-level policies that remove educational and enrollment barriers and collaborates with partner agencies to provide services and resources to children and youth experiencing homelessness. HEP also provides ongoing training to educators serving as homeless liaisons at each public or public charter school and LEA in the District of Columbia.  

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant Program is authorized by Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Pub. L. 100-77) of 1987, Section 726, as reauthorized on Dec. 10, 2015 by Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and made effective on Oct. 1, 2016. OSSE administered $331,657.00,125.44 in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) funding to nine subgrantees.

The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief – Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-Homeless) Fund is authorized by the US Department of Education (USED) under section 2001(b)(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). OSSE currently administers $50,781.61 in ARP Homeless I funding to five LEA subgrantees, $910,960.16 in ARP-Homeless II funding to 16 LEA subgrantees, and $115,781.12 in ARP-Homeless II funding to three CBOs.

For more information about MKV grants, please visit the MKV Frequently Asked Questions page.

Additional Information
For additional information about the homeless education program, please select the links below.

    

Return to the Homeless Education Program’s main webpage.

Contact Us
For questions or additional information, please email [email protected].

The Homeless Education Program is administered by OSSE’s Office of Special Populations and Programs within the Division of Systems and Supports, K-12.

[Date Posted: May 10, 2023]