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Stories from the Field

Supporting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth in Accessing Higher Education

For many people reading this article, the term “unaccompanied homeless youth” is an unfamiliar one. You may have no frame of reference to use in understanding what an unaccompanied homeless youth is, much less what his or her daily life, and the challenges it presents, may be like. The reality is, however, that more than 1.5 million young people in the United States will experience an episode of homelessness on their own each year, often due to severe family conflict or dysfunction in the home. Of these youth, many of them will want to attend college; yet, without the support of a parent or guardian, there will be no one to drop them off at college, stock their dorm room with cool stuff, and, even more importantly, provide needed signatures and financial support for things like tuition and books.

Two federal laws provide additional support for “unaccompanied homeless youth” - The McKinney-Vento Act and the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). The McKinney-Vento Act (Title X, Part C, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) establishes the definition of homelessness used by federal education law. According to the Act, a student lacking a “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” and “not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian” is considered an unaccompanied homeless youth. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act establishes that unaccompanied homeless youth qualify as independent students for purposes of applying for financial aid, thereby enabling them to fill out the FAFSA without parental signature and to have their aid package calculated without consideration of parental income.

  Homeless Youth in the United States: Recent Research Findings and Intervention Approaches

NCHE Spreads the Word 
The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), housed at The SERVE Center, is the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance center in the area of homeless education.

Calling all Advocates to help our Homeless families/students,

Agnes