Families In Transition

Newport School District Homeless Liaison:

Christine Ball
Newport School District Family and Community Liaison
(603) 454-4214

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals lacking a fixed, regular, AND adequate nighttime residence.

This definition includes students:

  • Sharing housing with friends, relatives, etc. due to loss of housing, natural disaster, hardship, etc.

  • Living in a motel, trailer park, or campground due to a lack of alternative accommodations

  • Living on the street or somewhere not designed for human occupation

  • In shelters or substandard housing

  • In an above situation and not in the custody of an adult guardian

Rights these students have:

  • Immediate enrollment, regardless of documentation, immunizations, etc.

  • Transportation to their school of origin (consistency in education)

  • Automatic eligibility for free/reduced lunch

  • Comparable education to all other students

 What schools can do:

  • Help connect students with available resources

  • Contact your local school district liaison or M-V contact

Know your educational rights!

Under the federal McKinney­-Vento Act, children and youth in homeless situations
have the right to:

  • Enroll in school immediately, even if missing records and documents normally required for enrollment, such as a birth certificate, proof of residence, previous school records, or immunization/medical records

  • Enroll, attend classes, and participate fully in all school activities while the school gathers records

  • Attend either the local school or the "school of origin", if this is in their best interest; the "school of origin" is the school the child attended when he/she was permanently housed or the school in which the child was last enrolled

  • Receive transportation support to and from the "school of origin" if in the best interest of the child(ren)

  • Free lunches for the school year

  • Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other children served in these programs

The following links contain many resources and information available to students and families who are in transition or a homeless situation. 

Town of Newport – Welfare Referral Information
Town of Newport Welfare/Town Assistance

Town of Newport - Departments

Town Departments

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY)
http://www.naehcy.org/

New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE)
http://www.education.nh.gov/

National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
http://center.serve.org/nche/

National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH)
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/

National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP)
http://www.nlchp.org/

National Network for Youth (NN4Y)
http://www.nn4youth.org/

US Homeless Resources & Sleep Accommodations
http://.startsleeping.org/homeless-sleep/