Funding Guide: Services & Supports for Homeless Students
A practical tool for McKinney-Vento liaisons and LEAs to identify allowable funding sources—federal, state, tribal, and local—to support students experiencing homelessness. It includes a pre-filled matrix aligned with liaison duties and strategic planning guidance.
This tool is designed to help McKinney-Vento Liaisons determine which funding sources can be used to support the needs of students experiencing homelessness. The table of contents corresponds to each legal responsibility of the McKinney-Vento liaison, and are intended to help LEAs robustly fulfill those responsibilities and provide comprehensive support. It includes a pre-filled matrix showing allowable uses of key federal funds and provides space for you to add local and community-based funding sources. There are a variety of federal, state, tribal and local funds that can be woven together to meet the various needs of students experiencing homelessness.
Examples of Funding Sources
Title I Part A: All schools must reserve Title I Part A funds to serve homeless students (20 U.S.C. §6313(c)(3)(A)). Title I funds reserved for homeless children and youth may be used for services not ordinarily provided by Title I, including funding local liaisons’ salary and transportation to the school of origin (20 U.S.C. §6313(c)(3)(C)(ii)). Two principles govern the use of Title I, Part A funds to provide such services to homeless students.
- First, the services must be reasonable and necessary to assist homeless students to take advantage of educational opportunities. (2 CFR § 200.403(a)).
- Second, Title I, Part A funds must be used only as a last resort when funds or services are not available from other public or private sources. (See ESEA section 1115(e)(2)).
McKinney-Vento Act Education for Homeless Children and Youth Funds: McKinney-Vento subgrant funds are awarded through a competitive grant process and must be used for the purpose of facilitating the identification, enrollment, attendance, and success in school of homeless children and youth.
Title I, Title II, Title IV, Part A, Rural Low Income Schools, Title IV, Part B, CLSD, IDEA, Part B, ISEP, FACE, Indian Education (Title VI, Part A).
Liaisons can modify this column to include any funding available to their school either through State funds or other local (including Tribal) funds.
Liaisons can build on this resource list as they identify additional funding partners, resource providers, etc. These resources can be local, state or national.