More than 150 members of Congress commit to Homeless Children and Youth Funding
More than 150 members of Congress committed to supporting the only two dedicated federal funding streams that support children and youth experiencing homelessness in the FY 2025 appropriations – but there’s more work to be done to ensure that these programs are adequately funded.
Congressional members recently circulated two bipartisan letters supporting funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program in the FY 2025 budget.
- The Senate letter was authored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and supported by 35 senators.
- The House letter was authored by Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE), and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and was supported by a total of 123 members.
The momentum in Congress for supporting children and youth experiencing homelessness continues to grow in no small part to your advocacy efforts. We are thrilled that 35 Senators and 123 Representatives – the largest number of supporters in the history of these programs – understand how crucial these funds are to states and school districts.
However, we’ll need to continue educating Congress about the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness, and the vital role that these programs play in meeting them, in order to ensure the final FY 2025 budget contains greater investments for EHCY and RHYA.
Related Resources:
- SHC’s written testimony to the Senate Committee on Appropriations’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, advocating for $800 million in FY 2025 funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program.
- SHC’s written testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, advocating for $800 million in FY 2025 funding for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program.
Action Needed:
Take action by filling out this form to send an email to your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators to urge them to support higher appropriations for EHCY and RHYA as the appropriations process continues.
The U.S. Department of Education identified more than 1.2 million children and youth that experienced homelessness in the 2021-2022 SY. The McKinney-Vento Act’s EHCY funding directly supports these students and their families. At the current funding level of $129 million, only roughly 25% of all school districts receive funds, which is why we’re pushing Congress to invest $800 million in EHCY for FY 2025.
SHC is committed and will continue monitoring the FY 2025 appropriations process as it unfolds, and will keep you up to date on the latest intel.
- The McKinney-Vento Act’s EHCY program is the only federal education program that removes barriers to school identification, enrollment, attendance, and success caused by homelessness. No other federal program has the responsibility for and expertise in finding, engaging, and serving these students. Local liaisons help identify homeless children and youth, ensure school access and stability, provide direct services, and coordinate with community agencies to meet basic needs.
- At the current funding level, only one in five school districts receives direct support through EHCY. Without EHCY support, students experiencing homelessness struggle to enroll in and attend school and face barriers to accessing other local, state, and federal educational programs.
- An $800 million appropriation is less than 2% of the federal K12 education budget, yet is proportional to the more than 2% of PreK12 students who experience homelessness. $800 million would maintain the level of funding provided by a bipartisan amendment to the American Rescue Plan Act. The ARP Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) funds have been instrumental in meeting the growing needs of students experiencing homelessness, more than doubling the number of school districts that receive dedicated support to identify and support homeless students with wrap-around services.
- Lack of a high school degree is the single greatest risk factor for homelessness as a young adult, so an investment in EHCY is also homelessness prevention. For local information to share with your U.S. Senators, use our Child and Youth Homelessness Data Profiles to download data for your Congressional district.