Determining McKinney-Vento Program Eligibility

NCHE Resources

Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services *updated Aug 2017*

To determine a student's McKinney-Vento eligibility, school districts must determine whether a student's living arrangement meets the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless. In this process, school districts may encounter instances where they feel the need to confirm information provided about a child's or youth's living arrangement. This NCHE brief provides local homeless education liaisons and school districts with recommended steps to take and practices to avoid when seeking to confirm a student's McKinney-Vento eligibility.
Download Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services.

Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services *updated Aug 2017*

This NCHE brief provides local homeless education liaisons and other school personnel with an in-depth understanding of the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless. It also outlines a step-by-step process for making determinations of McKinney-Vento eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
Download Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services.

Eligibility Flowchart

This NCHE flowchart provides a simple process of determining the McKinney-Vento eligibility of students. It addresses some more common living arrangements with questions designed to solicit the information needed to make accurate eligibility determinations.
Download the Eligibility Flowchart.

Other Resources

Code of Federal Regulations: Title 24, Section 5.425 (24 C.F.R. § 5.425) - Federal Preference: Substandard Housing
These federal regulations discuss the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition of substandard housing for purposes of administering the federal Section 8 and Public Housing Assistance Programs.
View 24 C.F.R. § 5.425 - Federal Preference: Substandard Housing.
Definitions of Homelessness for Federal Programs Serving Children, Youth, and Families
The two major definitions of homeless in use by federal agencies are the education definition in Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act, and the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition in Section 103 of Subtitle I of the McKinney-Vento Act. The definitions overlap and diverge in ways that can cause confusion. This chart, authored by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) and updated in October 2014, illustrates the similarities and differences between federal agencies' definitions of homeless.
Download Definitions of Homelessness for Federal Programs Serving Children, Youth, and Families.
Measuring Overcrowding in Housing
This report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development examines the issue of overcrowding in housing within the United States based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Housing Survey (AHS). In addition to examining trends, it presents alternative definitions of overcrowding based on an extensive literature review, including definitions based on persons-per-room (PPR), persons-per-bedroom (PPB), unit square footage-per-person (USFPP), and persons-per-room (PPR) by unit square footage-per-person (USFPP).
Download Measuring Overcrowding in Housing.

Sample Forms, Materials, and Policies

Bellingham Public Schools: Student Housing Questionnaire
This one-page questionnaire is used by Bellingham Public Schools (WA) to determine eligibility for McKinney-Vento services. It provides the ability for unaccompanied students to verify their own living arrangements by signing for themselves. Other districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the Student Housing Questionnaire English | Student Housing Questionnaire Spanish.
Cobb County School District (Atlanta, GA): Administrative Forms
See Section J: Homeless Students of Cobb County School District's Board Policies and Administrative Rules for a variety of forms related to enrolling and educating children and youth experiencing homelessness, including:
  • Information on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
  • Procedure for Free Lunch
  • Procedure For Transportation to School of Origin
  • School of Origin Request
  • Student Residency Statement
  • Written Notification Form
    Forms are available in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish.
    Visit the Cobb County School District (Atlanta, GA): Administrative Forms webpage.
District School Board of Pasco County: Student/Family Domicile Questionnaire

This one-page questionnaire is used by the District School Board of Pasco County to determine eligibility for services under Title I, Part A, Title I, Part C-Migrant, or Title X, Part C-McKinney-Vento. Other districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own domicile questionnaires.
Download the District School Board of Pasco County: Student/Family Domicile Questionnaire.

Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire
This one-page questionnaire, developed by the Louisiana Department of Education and available in a variety of languages, may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other states may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire (scroll to Homeless Education Services).
Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD): Residence Questionnaire
This one-page questionnaire, developed by the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other school districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the questionnaire in English | Hmong | Spanish.
New York City Department of Education: Housing Questionnaire
This one-page questionnaire, developed by the New York City Department of Education and available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu, may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other school districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own housing questionnaires.
Download the housing questionnaire.
Texas Student Residency Questionnaire
This one-page questionnaire, developed by the Texas Homeless Education Office (THEO), may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other states may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the questionnaire in English | Spanish.