Research and Policy Report

Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness: District Approaches to Supports and Funding

Elementary student smiling in front of a yellow school bus.
Stephanie Levin, Daniel Espinoza, and Michael Griffith
October 2022 | Learning Policy Institute
Elementary student smiling in front of a yellow school bus.

This report from the Learning Policy Institute details research into support and funding for the approximately 1.3 million k–12 public school students across the United States identified as experiencing homelessness in 2019–20. The stress, instability, trauma, and school mobility created by homelessness increase risks to physical, social, and emotional health and to educational engagement and achievement. Further, housing instability can have lasting negative impacts on students even after the period of homelessness ends. Across all districts in this study, program staff worked to support students experiencing homelessness by coordinating necessary services provided by the district homeless program, schools, and community-based organizations. All districts in the study had applied for and won McKinney-Vento Act grants, which funded liaisons with dedicated time to provide and coordinate support for students experiencing homelessness.