• The New Jersey McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program provides protection and services to children who are displaced or experiencing homelessness. In 2021, more than 10,000 New Jersey students were considered homeless, of which 921 were from Middlesex County. The goal of McKinney-Vento is to ensure homelessness is not a barrier to attending school, completing high school, and/or accessing services that can help avoid poverty and homelessness as an adult.

    Eligibility Definition: Homeless children and youths are individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:

    • Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters, or are abandoned in hospitals;
    • Children and youths who have 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;
    • Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
    • Migratory children who qualify as homeless because the children are living in circumstances described above.

    If you believe a student is homeless or displaced and not connected to McKinney-Vento services, please contact Dr. Renee Davis (District Homeless Liaison) at davisr@mcmsnj.net or 732-257-3300 ext.1934.   

    Information for Parents

    National Center for Homeless Education