Colusa County Office of Education

Our program is designed to assist in creating school stability and ensure that youth identified as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act have access to the same opportunities, experiences and resources as non homeless youth. In the role of liaison, the Program Coordinator, advocates for the youth through communications between social service agencies and educational agencies regarding the rights of youth and by providing technical assistance and education to all concerned parties as it relates to the rights of the homeless youth.    

Definition of Homeless

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youths as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

• Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
• Children and youths who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, and shelters;
• 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; or
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above.