The McKinny-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) clarifies the definition of homeless children and requires some changes in the way these children's meal applications are processed.
The NEW definition of “HOMELESS” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The definition includes:
(1) Children who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
(2) Children who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
(3) Children who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing; bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
(4) Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act also requires each school district to designate a LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY LIAISON FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN (LEA Homeless Liaison). Some of the duties of the LEA Homeless Liaison are to ensure, that homeless children are identified by school personnel, that they have full opportunity to enroll and succeed in school and that they receive educational and other services for which they are eligible.
To expedite the delivery of free meals, the determining official does NOT need an application and may accept documentation that children are homeless from the LEA Homeless Liaison or directors of homeless shelters where the children reside. THE DOCUMENTATION MUST CONSIST OF:
(1) Child’s name
(2) Effective dates
(3) Signature of the LEA Homeless Liaison or director of the homeless shelter
It is very important that the LEA Homeless Liaison notifies the determining official when children leave the school or are no longer considered homeless. Once a child is no longer considered homeless, the determining official must provide the household with an application for free and reduced price meals.
A child may temporarily reside with another household and still be considered homeless under the definition of homeless in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. In these cases the household size and income of the host family IS NOT taken into consideration in determining the free meal eligibility for the child designated as homeless by the LEA Homeless Liaison.
When a host family applies for free and reduced price meals for their own children, the host family may include the homeless family as household members if the host family provides financial support to the homeless family, such as shelter, utilities, clothing and food. In such cases, the host family must also include any income received by the homeless family. The determining official must determine eligibility for the host family by following normal procedures. However, free meal eligibility for the homeless child is based on the documentation provided by the LEA Homeless Liaison, even when the child is included on the host family’s free and reduced price meal application.
If the host family meets the free or reduced price meal eligibility criteria, the determining official should provide the host family with TEMPORARY APPROVAL. The host family’s eligibility should be reevaluated when the homeless household moves out and the household size decreases.
FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES IS ASKING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO BE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO CHILDREN AND HOUSEHOLDS WHO ARE HOMELESS AND TO EXPEDITE BENEFITS TO THESE CHILDREN.
Please refer questions or requests for additional information to the Child Nutrition Office.