Homeless Children & Youth

The Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is authorized under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, most recently re-authorized in December 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The McKinney-Vento Act mandates state action to ensure that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free and appropriate public education as their non-homeless counterparts.

Definition of a Homeless Child/Youth

• A homeless child or youth ages 3-21;
• 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 human 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 run away or youth being forced to leave home.

The Maquoketa Community School District Homeless Liaison is Stacy Marcus. She can be reached at smarcus@maquoketaschools.info or (563) 652-4984 ext. 5001.

The State of Iowa Homeless Liaison is Isbelia Arzola. She can be reached at isbelia.arzola@iowa.gov or (515) 326-5962.