Federal Policy on Students Experiencing Homelessness

Additional Federal Actions Affecting Students Experiencing Homelessness 

Some policy and legal actions taken by the Trump administration do not alter existing federal responsibilities to support students experiencing homelessness; rather, they introduce additional potential challenges for these students. For example: 

• Immigration enforcement targeting unaccompanied minors: Many immigrants — sometimes unaccompanied minors — arrive in the U.S. without stable housing. Under the Trump administration, immigration enforcement efforts targeting unaccompanied minors have intensified, potentially impacting those who may also be experiencing homelessness. To facilitate immigration enforcement, the Trump administration has allowed for data-sharing between the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a major shift that puts sensitive information about unaccompanied minors and their sponsors at risk of being used for deportation purposes. In March 2025, the administration nearly terminated legal representation for unaccompanied minors, leaving thousands of children at risk of navigating complex immigration proceedings alone, though the courts have since temporarily restored funding for these services. In the last several months, federal agents, primarily from Homeland Security Investigations, have conducted or attempted to conduct unannounced “wellness checks” at schools, homes, and migrant shelters — heightening fear among unaccompanied minors and those with unstable housing, and contributing to increased school absenteeism.

• Cuts to programs for vulnerable populations: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to cut funding that helps schools purchase food from local farmers, which will disrupt school food services and lower the quality of meals provided to students. These changes will disproportionately affect students who rely on school meals, including homeless youth who are automatically eligible for free and reduced-price meals through direct certification. Interruptions in food service and declines in meal quality are likely to further exacerbate food insecurity among these already vulnerable children. Other proposed federal budget cuts threaten to reduce or eliminate funding for critical programs that support vulnerable populations, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Medicaid. These cuts would likely have a significant negative impact on youth experiencing homelessness, as these programs provide essential support for housing stability, nutrition, and health care. The administration’s budget also proposes deep reductions to affordable and supportive housing programs, which, if enacted, could result in the loss of housing for hundreds of thousands of low-income households and increased barriers to accessing assistance.

• Terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts: The Trump administration’s broader policy agenda includes halting funding for DEI initiatives across federal agencies, as outlined in recent EOs. These measures have been described as a significant setback for marginalized groups, including Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ youth, who are disproportionately represented among homeless young people and face unique challenges in accessing safe and supportive environments. The removal of DEI-related funding and programs may make it more difficult for homeless and at-risk youth to find supportive resources and safe educational settings, potentially exacerbating their marginalization and increasing their vulnerability to homelessness and related harms. 

Actions State Leaders Can Take to Support Homeless Students Through Federal Disruption

The changing federal role in the education of pre-K through Grade 12 students experiencing homelessness presents opportunities for state leaders to clarify, improve, or modify their own policies to support this student population. State leaders, including those in governors’ offices, SEAs and boards, and legislatures, should do the following:   

1. Engage in the federal policy conversation and share local impact. 

State leaders can play a critical role in shaping national policy. State education officials, legislators, and governors’ offices should maintain regular communication with their U.S. senators and representatives to ensure they understand the real-world impact of federal decisions on students experiencing homelessness. Sharing data, stories, and concrete examples from schools and communities can illuminate how federal program changes — such as the consolidation or elimination of targeted funding — would affect students on the ground. This engagement can contribute to a more accurate federal understanding of homelessness and help guard against unintended consequences of policy shifts.  

2. Codify protections for homeless students in state law. 

States must strengthen and clarify the rights and protections for students experiencing homelessness by embedding them in state statutes and regulations, ensuring consistent and comprehensive support regardless of changes at the federal level. McKinney-Vento establishes a federal baseline of protections. However, the U.S. Department of Education’s FY26 budget consolidates McKinney-Vento’s EHCY program and 17 other federal grant programs into a single block grant, effectively eliminating the program and erasing federal protections for homeless students, including immediate enrollment, school stability, transportation, and access to all educational programs. States must ensure that the full range of McKinney-Vento protections are explicitly codified in state law.  

Once states have codified this baseline of protections, states should consider expanding upon them to address local gaps and challenges. In particular, matters concerning the rights of minors, as well as health care, housing, employment, education, and child welfare, fall under the jurisdiction of state legislatures.

3. Establish or increase state-level funding for students experiencing homelessness. 

While several analyses suggest that current McKinney-Vento funding levels are inadequate, it is the primary — and often only — source of funds that schools and districts have to provide services for students experiencing homelessness. Only a handful of states have dedicated funding to support young people experiencing homelessness beyond federal funds. And while all LEAs are required to adhere to federal requirements for serving homeless students, only about 20% of LEAs receive McKinney-Vento subgrants to support that work. The remaining districts must fund liaisons and address student needs out of their own operating budgets. 

The reality of federal funding inadequacy, coupled with a U.S. Department of Education budget proposal that eliminates EHCY entirely, makes it more important than ever for states to provide funding to LEAs to support students experiencing homelessness. States could provide funding through a variety of mechanisms, including developing a student funding formula that includes weights for students experiencing homelessness, providing annual funding for transportation or other services, or offering grants to support coordination across districts and communities. Importantly, any state funding for homeless students must be flexible — local district and school leaders must be able to use those funds in ways that meet the unique needs of the individual students they serve.

4. Maintain and publicly report data on student homelessness. 

As the federal role in education for students experiencing homelessness evolves, states have an opportunity to strengthen their own data systems. While McKinney-Vento requires SEAs to collect, maintain, and publicly report data on students experiencing homelessness, the nuances of data collection and public dissemination beyond federal requirements are left to states. For example, some states go beyond federal minimums by collecting additional data points, such as how LEAs are using funds dedicated to students experiencing homelessness to better inform state and local policy and practice, but not all do. 

States must take the lead in collecting data on homeless students and how they are served, including how districts are using Title I set-asides, and in making that data transparent to the public. Including data on homeless students directly in state report card websites, for example, can help states hold themselves accountable for serving homeless students — and ensure state leaders have the data they need to allocate resources more effectively.  

5. Create mechanisms to facilitate or enhance cross-agency collaboration and coordination. 

Historically, federal policy has emphasized the necessity of cross-agency collaboration to address the complex needs of students experiencing homelessness. In alignment with this, states should formalize cross-agency partnerships through interagency working groups, memoranda of understanding, and joint initiatives, ensuring that collaboration is not left to chance but embedded in policy and practice. Strong collaboration should involve data-sharing agreements that protect student privacy while helping agencies better support homeless students, as well as state grants or incentives for joint efforts that address barriers to attendance, stability, and academic success.

6. Invest in professional development around best practices for serving students experiencing homelessness. 

Professional development is critical to building awareness and capacity among school personnel to identify and support students experiencing homelessness. While McKinney-Vento requires that all schools provide training on the requirements and ways to support students experiencing homelessness effectively, the nuances of this training and its implementation are locally controlled. In the context of evolving federal policy and role, states should ensure that training is ongoing and includes updates on policy changes and best practices for supporting students experiencing homelessness. 

State leaders would also benefit from training on best practices and allowable uses of funding for homeless students. State finance officers who review district budgets, for example, may not understand why a district is spending money on diapers, even as the local liaison knows that those diapers are what allows a young mother to send her child to day care so she can attend school. Training for state leaders can help bridge these gaps and ensure widespread understanding of best practices to support homeless students.    

7. Strengthen the capacity of state homeless coordinators and local liaisons. 

State homeless coordinators and local liaisons play an essential role in identifying students experiencing homelessness, ensuring they are enrolled in school and can attend, navigating often-complex webs of social services to access services, coordinating with other state and local agencies, and training school and district staff members to support these students. All of these activities are required by federal law. However, district liaisons are often stretched thin: One survey found that more than 90% of liaisons work in another official capacity in the district; 89% say they spend less than half of their time on liaison-related duties.  

This limited capacity can significantly undermine efforts to identify homeless students early, ensure consistent school attendance, and connect families with vital services. As federal uncertainty grows, it is essential that states step in to dedicate funding, staffing, and training resources to these roles. States might consider funding full-time liaison positions, setting minimum time allocation requirements, or providing supplemental grants to high-need districts. Investing in these positions both supports academic continuity for young people and strengthens the broader safety net for some of the most vulnerable students in the education system. 

Considerations for State Policymakers and Advocates

Federal programmatic and funding uncertainty places even more responsibility on state policymakers to develop and implement effective policies that support and serve students experiencing homelessness. To anticipate and embrace this responsibility, state policymakers should consider the following set of strategic questions. 

Stakeholder Engagement: 

• Do you regularly engage with key stakeholders, including students experiencing homelessness, their families, district leaders and educators who work with homeless populations, shelters, and community-based and advocacy organizations that work on behalf of homeless youth?
  • If not, how could those relationships be strengthened? Are there additional partnerships that need to be formed?
  • If so, are you discussing the impact of federal policy changes and addressing stakeholder questions and concerns?
• How are policymakers informing stakeholders about changes in federal policy and their implications for state and local services?
  • What mechanisms or channels exist for students experiencing homelessness, their families, shelters, and community advocates to provide input on new policies or services that affect them?
• How are cross-sector leaders — including those in early childhood, education, health and human services, housing, juvenile justice, the attorney general, and immigration — collaborating and jointly problem-solving around state responses?

Policy and Budget: 

• Are existing state laws aligned with or exceeding McKinney-Vento protections? Are there gaps that need to be addressed as federal oversight recedes?
• How will the state ensure the rights and protections of homeless students remain robust if federal enforcement wanes?
  • How is the state addressing and protecting the needs of young people disproportionately experiencing homelessness, including those who face unique risks such as unaccompanied minors and LGBTQ+ youth, given the current federal environment? 
• How engaged are state leaders in addressing threats to homeless students?
  • What might it take to secure sufficient political support to advance state action to strengthen support for homeless students?
  • Which groups or individuals are most outspoken or influential on issues related to homelessness education? What are they advocating for (or against)? 
• Does the state provide dedicated funding to supplement or replace federal dollars?

Implementation and Assistance: 

• How is the state monitoring compliance with McKinney-Vento requirements given reduced federal oversight?
  • Are districts receiving timely training, resources, and support?
• What systems are in place to maintain data collection and reporting in the event of disruptions to federal data-sharing infrastructure?
  • How are agencies sharing data and coordinating service delivery to reduce duplication and address gaps?
• What state-level innovations or best practices could be scaled to fill gaps left by reduced federal involvement?

Acknowledgments, About the Authors, About Bellwether

Bellwether is a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure systemically marginalized young people achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. Founded in 2010, we work hand in hand with education leaders and organizations to accelerate their impact, inform and influence policy and program design, and share what we learn along the way. For more, visit bellwether.org.