Homelessness & Mobility

Share / assign

Why it works

Homelessness and frequent moves disrupt learning, relationships, and stability, and affect a significant number of students. In the US, the McKinney-Vento Act gives students experiencing homelessness specific rights (enrollment, stability, support) and every district has a liaison. Research and guidance point to a stable, welcoming classroom, sensitivity to the student's situation without stigma, awareness of basic needs, and connecting students and families to the liaison and resources, as what helps.

The research: McKinney-Vento Act; research on homelessness and student mobility.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: plan to support stability and access

Teachers leave with a stability plan and clarity on the liaison and barriers to remove.

Plan a stable, welcoming classroom that helps any student facing instability.
Remove barriers (supplies, fees, hidden costs) for everyone.
Learn who your school's homeless liaison is and how to connect students and families.
Plan to be supportive and sensitive without stigma.

Stability, welcome, and knowing the liaisonA stable, welcoming classroom and knowing how to connect a student to support, through the liaison every district has, can be a lifeline. Remove barriers, without stigma.

Facilitator notes

Provide stability and welcome, and remove barriers.
Know and use the liaison.
Be sensitive without stigma, and keep expectations high.

Do not stigmatize or lower expectationsSingling out or pitying a student, or expecting less, does harm. Provide stability, remove barriers, connect to the liaison, and keep the bar high.

Adapt it

Elementary: stability, supplies, sensitive support, the liaison.
Secondary: barriers, credits, the liaison, dignity.
All settings: stability, welcome, liaison, no stigma.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Homelessness & Mobility: stability and support

A lifeline: a stable, welcoming classroom, barriers removed, and the district liaison connected, without stigma.

The stable, welcoming classroom I plan:
The barriers I will remove for everyone:
Who my school homeless liaison is:
How I am sensitive without stigma:
How I keep expectations high:

Make it stick

Stability and the liaison:

Provide stability and welcome.
Know the liaison.
Bring a barrier you removed to the team.

Common questions

How would I even know a student is experiencing homelessness?

You may not always, and families may not disclose. Watch for signs sensitively, remove barriers for everyone, and know your school's homeless liaison, who every district must have.

What rights do these students have?

Under McKinney-Vento (in the US), rights to enroll, stay in their school of origin where feasible, and receive support. Your district liaison handles this, connect the student and family to them.

What can I do in my classroom?

Provide stability and welcome, remove barriers (supplies, fees), be sensitive without singling the student out, keep expectations high, and connect to the liaison and resources.