- Fabens Independent School District
- Homeless Children & Youth
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Welcome!
Our McKinney-Vento webpage offers information on what the homeless assistance program entails, who qualifies, what services are available, and resources for families experiencing homelessness. If you are in need of assistance or have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Melissa Rodriguez, LBSW
McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison
mrodrig@fabensisd.net
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McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Program
The McKinney-Vento (MKV) Act is a federally funded program that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Under this act, children who have lost their housing have the right to attend school, no matter where they live or how long they have lived there. Students also have the right to attend school when they are homeless or do not have a permanent address.
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Am I considered "homeless"?
You may be considered homeless if you are:
- Sharing another person’s house, such as a friend or relative, because your family cannot afford to live alone or because you lost your housing or have nowhere else safe to go. This is often called “doubling up.” For example, you are doubling up if your family is sharing housing with others because a parent lost a job. As another example, you are doubling up if you move in with a friend to escape domestic violence or abuse;
- Staying in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground because you do not have other adequate housing;
- Living in an emergency shelter or transitional shelters, such as a youth shelter, family shelter, domestic violence shelter, or transitional living program;
- Being abandoned in a hospital;
- Staying in a private or public place not designed for or usually used for sleeping;
- Living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, bus or train station, or camping ground; or
- Living in “substandard housing,” which might include housing that does not have water, electricity, or heat; is infested with vermin or mold; lacks a working kitchen or toilet, or presents unreasonable dangers to residents.
Even if your housing situation does not fit any of these examples, you might still be considered homeless if you are staying somewhere that is not a “fixed, regular, and adequate” nighttime residence:
- A “fixed” residence is stationary and permanent. For example, a house or apartment is “fixed,” but a car is not.
- A “regular” residence is used on a regular and nightly basis. For example, a home your family owns and can stay in for the long term is “regular,” but an emergency shelter is used on a short-term basis and is not “regular.”
- An “adequate” residence is one that meets the physical, emotional, and psychological needs that a home typically provides. For example, an “adequate” home is one that is warm, safe, and reliable, but an abandoned building is not “adequate.”
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How long can I qualify for the program?
There is no minimum or maximum time to qualify for the rights and services discussed here. You qualify if you experience homelessness for one day or for several years.
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How can the Fabens ISD McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison help me?
If you are experiencing housing difficulties, you may qualify for additional services from Fabens ISD.
If you are living in any of the following situations:
- Shared housing with other friends or families
- Runaway/homeless youth and students who are not living with a parent or legal court-appointed guardian
- Temporary or transitional housing
- Emergency and domestic violence shelters
- Motels or hotels
- Campgrounds or inadequate trailer homes
- Substandard housing (homes without heat, water, or working appliances)
- Cars, abandoned buildings, parks, the streets or other public spaces
We may be able to help you:
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Enroll in school
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Remain in your school if you move to another area
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With transportation to and from school
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Receive free or reduced-cost school meals
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Social referrals
- Other services
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McKinney-Vento Homeless Identification Form
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McKinney-Vento Poster Eng
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McKinney-Vento Poster Span
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McKinney-Vento School-Age Youth Eng
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McKinney-Vento School-Age Youth Span
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McKinney-Vento Transportation Contract & Request