Foster Care and Homelessness

Foster care is defined as 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians for whom a custodial agency has placement and care responsibility. A child can be removed from their home and placed into the custody of a custodial agency through an official court order or emergency intervention by law enforcement. (Ohio Department of Education, 2023)

Additional information may be found at the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce webpage for Students in Foster Care.

Identification

McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth states that a student who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence is considered homeless. The district’s homeless education liaison can work with other school and district personnel and community partners to identify students experiencing homelessness.  Districts can ensure the identification of students experiencing homelessness by clearly stating the McKinney-Vento provisions and heightening awareness to the signs of homelessness. (Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, 2023)

Eligibility

The Federal Education Definition of Homelessness includes students who are:

• Sharing housing due to loss of housing, economic hardship or similar reason;
• Living in hotels, motels, trailer parks (not deemed residential) or campgrounds due to a lack of alternative adequate housing;
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters;
• Abandoned in hospitals;
• Living in a public or private place not designated for or typically used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• Living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar places; and
• Living in one of the above situations and who are migratory. (Ohio Department of Education, 2023)

Additional information may be found at the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce webpage for Students Experiencing Homelessness.