STATE POLICY (June 2025)

State Funding to Support K12 Students Experiencing Homelessness

Targeted state funding can supplement federal funding and help ensure school access, stability, and success for students experiencing homelessness. This brief summarizes state-funded programs that support educational services, transportation, and housing and homelessness assistance for K12 students who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Educational Services to Increase Stability and Success

Colorado Educational Stability Grant

Date Enacted: 2018
  • Overarching Purpose/History: Designed to reduce educational barriers for highly mobile students through academic and social-emotional support. Focuses on improving school attendance, reducing behavioral incidents, and increasing graduation and promotion rates.
  • Target Population: Students experiencing homelessness, students in foster or kinship care, and migrant children.
  • Current Funding Level/History: Approximately $825,000 is available for the 2025-2026 school year, with funding contingent on annual appropriations from the State Legislature.
  • Administering State Agency: Colorado Department of Education.
  • Eligible Activities: Academic support, social-emotional services, improving school attendance and promotion rates, reducing behavioral/disciplinary incidents, increasing graduation/completion rates.
  • Eligible Grantees: Colorado education providers.
  • Link to Statute: Colorado General Assembly
  • Link to Resources: Colorado Department of Education

Funding Authorized But Not Currently Appropriated

Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act  

Date Enacted: 1994; last amended in 2024 (HB 5407)

  • Overarching Purpose/History: Implements federal McKinney-Vento Act provisions for immediate enrollment and school stability, and authorizes funding for additional supports such as housing stability and transportation assistance through a grant program. Subject to appropriation, the Illinois State Board of Education shall award competitive grants to applicant school districts based on the percentage of students experiencing homelessness in the applicant school district and other factors.
  • Target Population: Students experiencing homelessness.
  • Current Funding Level/History: The statute authorizes funding, but does not receive an annual appropriation. The act was last funded in 2009 at $3 million.
  • Administering State Agency: Illinois State Board of Education.
  • Eligible Activities:
    • Rental assistance, including utilities, security deposits, first and last month’s rent, application fees, and moving expenses;
    • Emergency shelter, including temporary hotel stays;
    • Case management and housing locator services;
    • Transportation assistance, including school buses, public transportation passes and gas assistance;
    • School supplies, clothing, academic enrichment, tutoring, parental involvement programs, and activities set forth in the McKinney-Vento Act.
  • Eligible Grantees: School districts under the State Grant Program.
  • Link to Statute: Illinois General Assembly  
  • Link to Resources:  (Coming Soon)

Transportation

Massachusetts Student Transportation

Date Enacted: Ongoing since prior to 2020

  • Overarching Purpose/History: Reimburses cities and districts for McKinney-Vento required student transportation.
  • Target Population: Students experiencing homelessness as required by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  • Current Funding Level/History: Increased from $11M (2020) to $28M (FY 2025).
  • Administering State Agency: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
  • Eligible Activities: Reimbursement of student transportation costs.
  • Eligible Grantees: Cities, towns, regional school districts.
  • Link to Statute: enacted budget item
  • Link to Resources:  (Coming Soon)

Improving Educational Outcomes Through Housing Support

Maine Student Housing Subsidy

Date Enacted: 2024

  • Overarching Purpose/History: Preventing student homelessness through housing assistance.
  • Target Population: Students and families at risk of housing instability.
  • Current Funding Level/History: $2 million initial funding. 2025 legislation made the program permanent but only allocated $125,000 annually.
  • Administering State Agency: Maine State Housing Authority, Department of Education.
  • Eligible Activities: Provides funding to school districts to hire homeless prevention and housing navigation specialists, as well as to provide direct financial assistance to a student’s family to cover expenses that will help them either maintain their current housing or obtain new housing rental subsidies through local housing authorities and schools.
  • Eligible Grantees: School systems.
  • Link to Statute: Maine Legislature
  • Link to Resources: Program Information