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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Information on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
If your family or a child (A child is considered to be someone ages 3-21) lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and is forced to live in any of the following situations:
A child who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and includes the following:
- A child who is sharing the housing of others (includes doubled-up families) due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; is abandoned in a hospital
- A child who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for humans beings
- A child who is living in a car, park, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
- A migratory child/youth who qualifies as homeless because of the living circumstances described above.
- Includes youth who have runaway or youth being forced to leave home.
- In addition, a student who is not in the physical custody of a parent/guardian and is living in one of the situations listed above may be considered an unaccompanied youth.
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, children in homeless situations have the right to:
- Go to school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there;
- Attend either the local school or the school of origin, if this is in their best interest; the school of origin is the school the child attended when he/she was permanently housed, or the school in which the child was last enrolled;
- Receive transportation to and from the school of origin;
- Enroll in school immediately, even if missing records and documents normally required for enrollment such as a birth certificate, proof of residence, previous school records, or
- immunization/medical records;
- Enroll, attend classes, and participate fully in all school activities while the school arranges for transfer of records;
- Have access to the same programs and services that are available to all other students including transportation and supplemental educational services;
- Have access to free school meals/lunch programs;
- Attend school with children not experiencing homelessness; segregation based on a student’s status as homeless is prohibited
Eligibility for McKinney-Vento rights is determined by the District’s Homeless Liaison and must be renewed each school year.
Washington Community School District
District Homeless Liaison: Teresa Beenblossom 319-653-6543
Stewart Elementary: Tracy Almelien 319-653-3244
Lincoln Elementary: Kelsey Martins 319-653-3011
Washington Middle School: Emily Miller 319-653-5416
Washington High School: Kathy Stender or Belinda Robinson 319-653-4245
Iowa Department of Education
State Homeless Liaison Tyler Nain 515-669-8622
