Identifying Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness

This NCHE brief summarizes the key provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act related to the identification of children and youth experiencing homelessness, and provides an overview of implementation strategies at the state and local levels.
Download Identifying Children and Youth in Homeless Situations.

This NCHE printout summarizes signs to look for when determining if a student may be experiencing homelessness.
Download the Potential Warning Signs of Homelessness.

This three-page document from the Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth Support Center (TEHCY) provides school staff with a guide to improving the identification of students experiencing homelessness. It includes possible indicators of housing instability for families and unaccompanied youth, sample interview questions, strategies to support identification, and resources on student privacy.
Download the Identification Tool for School Staff.

This form may be used by schools to record pertinent information regarding children and youth identified as living in homeless situations. The form is useful in obtaining a cumulative count of the number of students identified, determining individual needs, maintaining student-level data, and generating summary reports of demographic data, characteristics, and needs of homeless children and youth.
Download the Iowa Identification and Needs Assessment Form.

This form from Danville Public Schools lists the steps that should be taken in the district to ensure that McKinney-Vento students are identified and connected with needed services.
Download the Procedures for Identifying Homeless Students and Families form.