if you become aware of a student who might meet the qualifications for homelessness, who should you contact?
You should contact your district’s Homeless Liaison (sometimes called the McKinney‑Vento liaison or district homeless liaison).
Who that is (in practice)
In almost every U.S. school district, there is a designated staff member whose job is to identify and support students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney‑Vento Act.
This person often works in:
- Student services or pupil services
- Counseling or social work
- The central office (e.g., “Student Support,” “Family & Community Engagement”)
If you don’t know who it is, ask:
- Your principal or school counselor
- The district office (“Who is our homeless liaison/McKinney‑Vento contact?”)
Why you contact them
The homeless liaison is responsible for:
- Determining if the student meets the federal definition of homelessness
- Coordinating immediate support (transportation, school stability, free meals, supplies)
- Connecting the family with local housing and social service agencies
A quick example:
If you learn a student is sleeping in a shelter, hotel, car, or doubled‑up
with another family because of loss of housing, you share this concern with
the homeless liaison, who then reaches out to the family and activates
supports to keep the student in school.
What you should do step‑by‑step
- Document what you’ve observed or what the student/family shared (facts, not assumptions).
- Notify your school counselor or administrator the same day.
- Ask for the district homeless/McKinney‑Vento liaison’s name and contact.
- Share your concern with that liaison, following your district’s reporting form or email process.
TL;DR:
If you become aware of a student who might meet the qualifications for homelessness, you should contact your school or district homeless (McKinney‑Vento) liaison , usually reached through your counselor, principal, or student services office.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.