FY24 Funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children & Youth Program
The McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program is the only federal program that removes barriers to education for children and youth experiencing homelessness. At its current funding level, less than one in five — 19.5% — of local educational agencies receive EHCY subgrants. Adequate funding through the annual appropriations process is necessary to ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness are identified and supported to enroll, attend, and succeed in school.
SHC is advocating for $800 million in the FY24 budget – less than 2% of the K12 federal education budget – to meet the educational needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
Public Comments
SchoolHouse Connection, Convenant House, and the National Network for Youth offered policy recommendations to Congress to consider during the reauthorization of the Farm Bill in the 118th Congress. It is essential that community-based organizations serving children and youth are supported by reimbursement of meals and streamlining access to key SNAP benefits authorized in the Farm Bill. > Read our recommendations
On April 24, 2022, SchoolHouse Connection, along with Education Law Center, John Burton Advocates for Youth, The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, and The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) Youth Law Center, submitted final comments specific to homeless and foster youth provisions on the 2023-2024 FAFSA to the U.S. Department of Education urging them to implement the provisions as soon as possible. > Read our comments
On November 30, 2021, SchoolHouse Connection submitted recommendations to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness’ (USICH) for the new Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Our recommendations are based on our daily direct interaction with our network, as well as decades of experience witnessing the many ways that previous federal strategic plans have fallen short, or failed outright. It is our hope that in light of the persistent — and often generational — crisis of homelessness, the Biden-Harris Administration will pursue fresh perspectives and new ideas. > Read our comments
Students experiencing homelessness are disciplined in schools at disproportionate rates in comparison to their housed peers, with disproportionalities further exacerbated by race, disability, and sexual identity/orientation. On July 23, 2021, SchoolHouse Connection submitted comments to the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education on the Nondiscriminatory Administration of School Discipline, highlighting these inequities, and providing recommendations for positive school discipline practices. > Read SHC’s comments
There is nothing ordinary about this Presidential transition. The seismic events of the coronavirus pandemic, the economic crisis, the toxic political divisions, and the long overdue awakening to systemic racism call for new thinking, and bold and decisive action to reflect current realities. This page documents our priorities for the Biden-Harris Administration for the first 100 days and beyond. > Read our recommendations
On November 9, 2020, we provided comments on the “Proposed Information Collection Activity; Child Care and Development Fund Plan for States/Territories for FFY 2022-24” to the Administration of Children and Families. > Read our comments
The “Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity” rule implemented by HUD in 2012 recognized and sought to address the discrimination and housing challenges faced by transgender persons. On September 22, 2020, we submitted comments to HUD in opposition of the Trump Administration’s anti-transgender housing rule. > Read our comments
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness recently requested input from stakeholders on revising the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. As one of the nation’s leading advocacy organizations on child, youth, and family homelessness, SchoolHouse Connection was invited to participate in the first stakeholder call, and also submitted formal written comments. We will continue to advocate for a strategic plan that confronts the realities of child, youth, and family homelessness, centers racial and ethnic equity, and recognizes the core role of early care and education. > Read our comments
SchoolHouse Connection applauds the Department of Education’s decision to study how school districts and schools are using funding authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We urge the Department to include in its study how school districts and schools are using Title I Part A funds for students experiencing homelessness, as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). > Read our comments
On September 4, 2020, we submitted our comments to the National Academy of Medicine on the preliminary COVID-19 vaccine allocation framework from the nation academies. We recommend that the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program (EHCY) be utilized as a mechanism to find homeless families and youth, and distribute the vaccine to them. > Read our comments