Formula grants are made to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico based on each state’s share of Title I, Part A, funds. The outlying areas and the Bureau of Indian Affairs also receive funds. Among other things, the program supports an office for coordination of the education of homeless children and youths in each state, which gathers comprehensive information about homeless children and youths and the impediments they must overcome to regularly attend school. These grants also help state educational agencies (SEAs) ensure that homeless children, including preschoolers and youths, have equal access to free and appropriate public education (FAPE). States must review and revise laws and practices that impede such equal access. States are required to have an approved plan for addressing problems associated with the enrollment, attendance, and success of homeless children in school. States must make competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and success in school of homeless children and youths. This includes addressing problems due to transportation needs, immunization and residency requirements, lack of birth certificates and school records, and guardianship issues.
Types of Projects
With subgrant funds, LEAs offer such activities as coordination and collaboration with other local agencies to provide comprehensive services to homeless children and youths and their families. LEAs also offer expedited evaluations of the needs of homeless children to help them enroll in school, attend regularly, and achieve success.
Key Documents
Key Documents | U.S. Department of Education. This page provides letters and reports to states for important programmatic activities, including the States’ consolidated State plans, requests for waivers, monitoring reports, and the peer reviews of State assessment systems. The list may be sorted or filtered by State, year, program, and activity.
U.S. Department of Education Resources
- ED Interagency Data Disclosure (May 2015)
This technical assistance product clarifies permissions and restrictions under FERPA for LEAs disclosing aggregate data and individual student information to HUD's Continuum of Care grantees and organizations operating Homeless Management Information Systems, including spotlights on 3 communities who have partially integrated their data systems.
Reports to Congress
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires the U.S. Department of Education to provide periodic reports to Congress about the implementation of the Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) grant program.
- Report to the President and Congress on the Implementation of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (October 2020)
- Report on the Status of Separate Schools for Homeless Children and Youths in Counties Exempted from the Prohibition of Separate Schools (August 2020)
National Center for Homeless Education
The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) is a technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Housed at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NCHE supports the implementation of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) grant program by providing technical assistance to EHCY grantees and other stakeholders. NCHE provides a toll-free helpline, a comprehensive website, virtual and in-person trainings, and informational resources. NCHE's website is available at https://nche.ed.gov/.
- Topical Index of Resources: NCHE provides a comprehensive set of resources related to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Access these resources, organized by topic, at https://nche.ed.gov/topics/.
- State-level Data & Contact Information: NCHE maintains State-specific webpages to provide an overview of each State's EHCY program (including performance data and contact information for EHCY State Coordinators). Learn more about your State's EHCY program at https://nche.ed.gov/data/.
- McKinney-Vento Public Awareness Materials: NCHE offers resources (including posters, brochures, and other educational materials) to school districts, community organizations, and other stakeholders designed to educate children and families about their rights under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Peruse NCHE's public awareness materials—some of which are available free of charge—at https://nchehelpline.org/.
- Use of Funds Tip Sheet: Both NCHE and the Department frequently are asked about whether a proposed use of funds is allowable and the answer is often that "it depends" on whether it can be considered reasonable and necessary and what other services are provided to all students or available in the district or community for students experiencing homelessness. It is a fact-specific, local determination and this tip sheet discusses six decision points in making that determination.
Federal Agencies Serving Homeless Children and Youth
- US. Interagency Council on Homelessness: https://www.usich.gov/goals/youth/ and https://www.usich.gov/goals/families/
This independent Federal agency coordinates across 19 Federal agencies to prevent and end homelessness. Goals include ending unaccompanied youth and family homelessness through coordination across Federal agencies and their State and local grantees and stakeholders.
- US. Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/programs/social-services/homelessness/index.html
HHS administers programs that target runaway and homeless youth or prioritize homeless children and adults for services. Several of them use ED's definition of homelessness and coordinate with State and local educational agencies in serving children, youth and families experiencing homelessness.
- US. Department of Housing and Urban Development: https://www.hudexchange.info/ and https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/yhdp/
HUD administers the Federal government's largest homeless assistance programs, including the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, with which it collaborates with ED in providing technical assistance to grantees. Searching on HUD's resource website under both education and the Continuum of Care program should lead you to several products produced or reviewed collaboratively with ED.
National Organizations with Resources on Homeless Children, Youth and Education
- The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth: https://naehcy.org/
This membership organization was started in 1988 and now includes many State and local educational agency staff involved in homeless education.
- SchoolHouse Connection: https://www.schoolhouseconnection.org/
Founded in 2016, SchoolHouse Connection has many resources for improving services and outcomes for children and youth experiencing homelessness.
- National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty: https://nlchp.org/youth-education/
This organization was started in 1989 and has been active in educational rights litigation and research. Many homeless education resources are on the link provided.
National Data Summary
This December 2023 report provides a summary of demographic data collected by the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program. The report includes an examination of data collected for the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 school years. Information on the number of students experiencing homelessness, their primary nighttime residence, subgroups of students, and race/ethnicity of students experiencing homelessness is included. To view this report please see Student Homelessness in America: School Years 2019-20 to 2021-22.
Archived editions of this report are available at https://nche.ed.gov/data-and-stats/.
Data Collection Information
To access data collected and published by the Department of Education, please see ED Data Express.
EDFacts File Specifications
The specific file specifications relevant to the collection and submission of homeless student data are FS 118, FS 170 and FS 194. In addition, homeless students are a category set in the following files: Title I, Part A participation (FS 037), dropout and graduate/completer counts (FS 032 and 040), participation and achievement on State assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics and science (FS 175, 178, 179, 185, 188, 189), graduation rates (FS 150 and 151), and chronic absenteeism (FS 195). To access all file specifications for all EDFacts data files, please see the following page. For more information about the Department's EDFacts Initiative, which includes data collection for EHCY, please see the following page.
LEA Homeless Student Enrollment Flat and Long Files
Since the 2013-2014 School Year, the Department has released LEA-level homeless student enrollment data with privacy protections applied. The files and documentation are available at the following page.
Monitoring Reports
OESE periodically assesses States' efforts in implementing Federal grant programs. By completing periodic assessments of SEA grant administration across multiple OESE programs, including EHCY, OESE is able to gather accurate information about States' compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, as well as information about grant performance. OESE uses this information about State and local needs to provide high-quality, differentiated support to States.
Consolidated monitoring reports, monitoring protocols, and information about the consolidated monitoring process are available on the Office of School Support and Accountability's (SSA) Performance Reports page. An SEA self-assessment tool and monitoring protocol for the EHCY program and other programs are also available on this . In searching for monitoring reports by State or program going back to 2007, please note that EHCY was included with reports for Title I, Parts A and D until 2014, only Title I, Part D in 2015, and only EHCY from 2016-2019.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, as amended, Title VII, Subtitle B; 42 U.S.C. 11431-11435
McKinney-Vento, Title VII, Subtitle B
- Section 1031. SHORT TITLE.
- Section 1032. EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTHS.
- Section 721. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
- Section 722. GRANTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTHS.
- Section 723. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY SUBGRANTS FOR THE EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTHS.
- Section 724. SECRETARIAL RESPONSIBILITIES.
- Section 725. DEFINITIONS.
- Section 726. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
- Section 1033. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.
Regulations
The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (commonly called "Uniform Guidance") was adopted by the Department in December 2014, 2 CFR Part 3474, and provides a government-wide framework for grants management and sets an authoritative set of rules and requirements for Federal awards that synthesizes and supersedes guidance from earlier OMB circulars. The Uniform Guidance addresses such issues as addresses time and effort certifications, indirect cost reimbursement, timely obligation of funds and carryover, financial management rules, program income, record retention, property/equipment/supplies inventory controls, procurement, monitoring, conflicts, travel policies, and allowable costs.
The Education Department of General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR Parts 75, 76, and 77, are the federal regulations that govern all federal grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. EDGAR is read in conjunction with the authorizing statutes, program-specific regulations, the Uniform Guidance, and Federal Register documents, such as Notices Inviting Applications and Notices of Final Priorities.
Guidance
- Letter from the US Department of Education regarding students who are Immigrants, September 6, 2023
- Letter from the US Department of Education regarding Afghan Evacuees, February 7, 2022
- Non-regulatory Guidance, Updated August 2018
- Homeless Student Guidance Fact Sheet (for LEA personnel)
- Public Notice to Federal Agencies and their Local Grant Recipients of the Educational Rights of Homeless Children and Youth
Funding Status
| Fiscal Year 2021 | Fiscal Year 2022 | Fiscal Year 2023 | Fiscal Year 2024 | |
| Total Appropriation | $106,500,000 | $114,000,00 | $129,000,000 | $129,000,000 |
| National Activities | $1,750,000 | $1,750,000 | $1,650,410 | $1,750,000 |
| Total to Outlying Areas & BIE | $1,171,000 | $1,254,000 | $1,419,000 | $1,419,000 |
| Total New Awards to States (52 Awards) | $103,578,500 | $110,996,000 | $125,930,590 | $125,831,000 |
Awards
| AWARDS TO STATES | Fiscal Year 2021 | Fiscal Year 2022 | Fiscal Year 2023 | Fiscal Year 2024 |
| ALABAMA | $1,660,756 | $1,782,205 | $2,127,765 | $2,089,994 |
| ALASKA | $300,845 | $323,811 | $372,689 | $368,645 |
| ARIZONA | $2,245,219 | $2,352,383 | $2,383,662 | $2,182,452 |
| ARKANSAS | $1,011,253 | $1,115,187 | $1,206,367 | $1,210,015 |
| CALIFORNIA | $12,924,738 | $13,193,426 | $14,556,590 | $14,562,972 |
| COLORADO | $1,009,125 | $1,082,756 | $1,286,249 | $1,271,406 |
| CONNECTICUT | $983,098 | $967,892 | $1,089,939 | $1,071,813 |
| DELAWARE | $337,662 | $363,424 | $403,784 | $408,517 |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | $312,419 | $391,249 | $435,059 | $390,601 |
| FLORIDA | $5,793,338 | $6,545,028 | $7,241,723 | $6,955,651 |
| GEORGIA | $3,606,850 | $4,228,996 | $4,676,891 | $4,005,813 |
| HAWAII | $367,425 | $380,078 | $518,503 | $491,747 |
| IDAHO | $359,986 | $383,051 | $436,479 | $451,656 |
| ILLINOIS | $4,379,854 | $4,501,717 | $5,385,621 | $5,537,446 |
| INDIANA | $1,532,704 | $1,744,039 | $1,972,997 | $1,933,339 |
| IOWA | $645,907 | $697,160 | $782,314 | $751,755 |
| KANSAS | $695,754 | $750,100 | $834,148 | $866,474 |
| KENTUCKY | $1,565,295 | $1,751,030 | $1,920,565 | $1,951,190 |
| LOUISIANA | $2,295,161 | $2,258,990 | $2,855,113 | $2,737,765 |
| MAINE | $348,220 | $379,022 | $430,278 | $415,976 |
| MARYLAND | $1,831,618 | $1,897,249 | $2,512,779 | $2,234,888 |
| MASSACHUSETTS | $1,625,015 | $1,676,113 | $2,044,798 | $1,978,769 |
| MICHIGAN | $3,009,305 | $3,279,864 | $3,650,749 | $3,868,952 |
| MINNESOTA | $1,130,555 | $1,104,514 | $1,313,652 | $1,344,391 |
| MISSISSIPPI | $1,417,114 | $1,478,175 | $1,576,170 | $1,649,860 |
| MISSOURI | $1,626,877 | $1,690,975 | $1,889,848 | $1,870,780 |
| MONTANA | $324,786 | $350,349 | $399,527 | $399,288 |
| NEBRASKA | $442,733 | $447,263 | $560,014 | $636,194 |
| NEVADA | $955,791 | $1,024,606 | $1,224,977 | $1,138,021 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | $277,789 | $314,787 | $366,124 | $323,138 |
| NEW JERSEY | $2,253,746 | $2,693,280 | $3,233,697 | $3,080,870 |
| NEW MEXICO | $828,506 | $870,876 | $967,447 | $1,018,940 |
| NEW YORK | $7,818,293 | $8,504,547 | $10,193,164 | $10,436,522 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | $3,165,939 | $3,410,230 | $3,545,887 | $3,533,359 |
| NORTH DAKOTA | $273,934 | $293,219 | $341,261 | $363,230 |
| OHIO | $3,783,577 | $3,936,650 | $4,538,030 | $4,550,086 |
| OKLAHOMA | $1,269,563 | $1,351,799 | $1,556,169 | $1,586,524 |
| OREGON | $891,548 | $895,694 | $1,134,173 | $1,162,487 |
| PENNSYLVANIA | $4,501,232 | $4,400,659 | $5,277,202 | $5,062,981 |
| PUERTO RICO | $2,686,605 | $3,095,767 | $2,997,464 | $3,102,956 |
| RHODE ISLAND | $353,129 | $368,141 | $432,184 | $409,688 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | $1,655,969 | $1,812,574 | $1,946,405 | $1,905,604 |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | $323,401 | $349,381 | $396,428 | $399,288 |
| TENNESSEE | $2,027,445 | $2,249,310 | $2,381,562 | $2,330,137 |
| TEXAS | $10,132,255 | $11,550,629 | $12,527,214 | $12,886,395 |
| UTAH | $549,782 | $463,651 | $550,929 | $560,783 |
| VERMONT | $266,250 | $285,000 | $322,500 | $322,500 |
| VIRGINIA | $1,860,209 | $1,922,466 | $2,316,367 | $2,217,751 |
| WASHINGTON | $1,703,746 | $1,742,757 | $2,071,598 | $2,105,568 |
| WEST VIRGINIA | $620,617 | $691,173 | $732,692 | $817,803 |
| WISCONSIN | $1,349,312 | $1,357,758 | $1,690,342 | $1,551,223 |
| WYOMING | $266,250 | $285,000 | $322,500 | $326,797 |
Additional Information
Please see the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) Budget History Tables for information on the President's budget requests and enacted appropriations for major ED programs.
Who May Apply: ONLY State Education Agencies (SEAs)
Grantee Information
While only SEAs may apply and directly receive funds from the Department of Education, SEAs are, in turn, required to make formula subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs).
To receive funds under ESEA formula grant programs, States are required, once per Congressional authorization of the statute, to submit program plans. Each program plan must address program requirements specified in the statute. Section 8303 of the ESEA, however, permits the Department to simplify application requirements and reduce the burden on States by establishing procedures for States to submit a single Consolidated State Plan that addresses multiple programs.
Each State submitted a Consolidated State Plan in 2017 in order to receive funds under nine formula Grant programs, including EHCY. Copies of all current State plans, as well as information about the State plan process, may be found here.
Distribution of formula grant funds to participating States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is proportionate to the distribution of funds under Section 1122 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The minimum grant that may be awarded to a State educational agency (SEA) in any given fiscal year is $150,000. The Bureau of Indian Affairs receives funds under a memorandum of agreement with the Department to serve children and youth experiencing homelessness and, attending schools administered by the Bureau. State educational agency must distribute not less than 75 percent of their allocation in subgrants to local educational agencies. States funded at the minimum level must distribute not less than 50 percent in subgrants to local educational agencies. States may reserve their remaining funds for State-level activities.
Distribution of formula grant funds to participating States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is proportionate to the distribution of funds under Section 1122 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The minimum grant that may be awarded to a State educational agency (SEA) in any given fiscal year is $150,000. The Bureau of Indian Affairs receives funds under a memorandum of agreement with the Department to serve children and youth experiencing homelessness and, attending schools administered by the Bureau. State educational agency must distribute not less than 75 percent of their allocation in subgrants to local educational agencies. States funded at the minimum level must distribute not less than 50 percent in subgrants to local educational agencies. States may reserve their remaining funds for State-level activities.
State applicants must also submit a state plan. See section 722(g) for the state plan's requirements.