Take Action to Support Education and Services for Homeless Children and Youth.
Federal Funding Advocacy
SHC strongly supports increased funding for the two federal programs specifically targeted to support children and youth experiencing homelessness: the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program (EHCY) and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs. The EHCY program removes barriers to the enrollment, attendance, and success of homeless children and youth in school. Without this specific, targeted assistance, homeless children and youth are unlikely to benefit from any investment in education, and are at much higher risk of experiencing homelessness as adults. The RHYA program serves homeless youth by meeting their immediate needs, providing long-term residential services, and conducting prevention and outreach efforts to move youth out of homelessness. Without emergency and transitional housing and crisis intervention, homeless youth are at even greater risk for trafficking and other life-threatening conditions.
Current Status
The U.S. House of Representatives will take up FY2022 funding bills in June 2021, with the Senate to follow. The two federal programs specifically targeted to support children and youth experiencing homelessness – the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program – provide essential services, but are dramatically underfunded. The need for robust funding for these two programs is greater than ever, particularly in light of increasing homelessness resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, and significant additional barriers to educational access and success for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Please use the form below to send a letter to your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative to urge them to support the EHCY and RHYA programs in the fiscal year 2022.