The New Social Worker Vol. 19, No. 4, Fall 2012 | Page 13

was enrolled in school and given school supplies and a bus pass. The liaison also made a
referral for Nichole to meet with a doula and
social worker at the Second Chance Homes
as a supportive housing option. The homeless
liaison was able to contact the Second Chance
Homes, because she established a formal
community partnership after a review of data
indicated that unaccompanied youth who were
either parents or expecting a child dropped
out of school for a lack of parenting supports.
The Memorandum of Understanding between
Second Chance Homes and the school district
outlined that eligible students would receive a
doula, available housing, life skills training,
and free child care for the duration of their
time in school. Nichole was also introduced to
her school social worker for additional school
and community based supports.

Each school district is charged
and mandated by law to identify a staff
member called the Homeless Education
Liaison. The liaison’s role is to identify
and provide supports for students facing
transition. Supports take on many forms,
including technical assistance to parents
and school administration, data coordination, grant writing and monitoring,
and program development. This person,
typically a social worker, has the opportunity to provide supports to ensure that
each homeless student is able to remain
in school and thrive. The work is not
done in isolation, but in partnership with
internal and external stakeholders. The
stakeholders include but are not limited
to parents, school nutrition, housing
agencies, shelters, and the local Continuum of Care. Liaisons are provided
technical assistance by state Departments
of Education, homeless education consultants, and the National Association for
the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth.

Stable educational environments
provide children with social and supportive relationships with peers, educators,
and the community that surrounds the
school. Steady education is mostly maintained by providing transportation, social
services, and educational enrichment opportunities for homeless students. Often,
when families are forced to move frequently, children may attend a few different schools within a school year. Homeless students are typically provided with
transportation supports to remain in their
school of origin. The school of origin is
the school that the child attended when
permanently housed or the last school of
attendance. There are times when attending a new school may be a better fit for

a student. For example, when a family is
fleeing a domestic violence perpetrator,
it may be in the student’s best interest to
attend a new school where he or she is
least likely to be located by the harmful
party.

In summary, if you know a family that meets the above definition
of homelessness, utilize their school
district’s Homeless Education Liaison
as a resource. The McKinney-Vento law
makes provisions and supports students
who are in transition by providing transportation, educational, and social service
supports to result in a stable and successful education. The ultimate goals of the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act are to have students be promoted in
grade, meet and exceed standardized test
requirements, graduate from high school,
become gainfully employed, and be active citizens.

For additional resources on McKinney-Vento, visit:
McKinney-Vento full text and Policy
Guidance: http://center.serve.org/nche/
National Association for the Education of
Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY): http://www.naechy.org
National Law Center on Homelessness
and Poverty (NLCHP): http://www.nlchp.
org

References
Bassuk, E. L., Murphy, C., Thompson
Coupe, N., Kenney, R. R., & Beach,
C. A. (2011, December). State Report

Card of Child Homelessness: America’s
Youngest Outcasts 2010. The National
Center on Family Homelessness. Retrieved April 20, 2012, from http://www.
homelesschildrenamerica.org/media/NCFH_
AmericaOutcast2010_web.pdf.
Pelley, S. (2011, November 27). Hard
times generation: Families living in
cars. 60 Minutes. Retrieved April 20,
2012, from http://www.cbsnews.com/830118560_162-57330802/hard-times-generation-families-living-in-cars/?tag=currentVide
oInfo;videoMetaInfo.
Webb, J. (2011, January 26). Assistant
Deputy Secretary to participate in homeless count in Durham, North Carolina.
U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved
April 20, 2012, from http://www.ed.gov/
news/media-advisories/assistant-deputysecretary-participate-homeless-count-durhamnorth-carolina.
Sonya O. Hunte,
MSW, is a Homeless Education
Liaison with the
Atlanta Public
Schools. Her social
work career has
spanned over a
decade in direct
service and program
management within
child welfare,
juvenile justice, and
education settings. She is a speaker, author,
social service consultant, and entrepreneur,
serving as the CEO of Hunte Community
Development Consulting LLC.

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