SPRING 2024 POLICY BRIEF - Integration of Housing Services & Mckinney-Vento (MKV) Homeless Student Education - Research Brief

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

Spring 2024 policy brief examining how to align housing and education services to better support homeless students and their families. It reviews the roles of California Department of Education (CDE) and Continuum of Care (CoC), highlighting data misalignment and gaps across identification and HMIS reporting. Using interviews, survey review, and data comparison, it identifies best practices for cross-agency coordination, HMIS access for education staff, a successful county pilot model, and actionable recommendations for improving referrals, services, and youth input.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Research Goals and Objectives

Methods

Key Insights & Findings

Recommendations

SPRING 2024 POLICY BRIEF Integration of Housing Services & Mckinney-Vento (MKV) Homeless Student Education A research brief proposed for the California Department of Education Jeremy Simon GSPP, PLUS Fellow Spring 2024 BACKGROUND: There are two major institutions supporting California’s students facing homelessness, the California Department of Education (CDE) and Continuum of Cares (CoCs) . CDE oversees public education and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. CoCs are the regional or local branch that coordinates homelessness funding for services and housing. The integration of both of these agencies is vital to fully supporting homeless students and their families. California is home to almost a quarter of the United States’ homeless children population (0-18) anda third of youth homelessness (0-24), with CDE identifying 246,480 students facing homelessness during the 2022-23 school year. During the 2022-23 school year, 93,080 students were identified by CoCs as eligible for housing services in their identification system ( HMIS) . During the same school year, CDE identified 41, 163 HMIS eligible students, missing approximately 51,917 students across the state that were accounted for in the HMIS system. RESEARCH GOALS AND OBJECTIVES This research explores how housing and education services can better align to meet the comprehensive needs of students facing homelessness to truly support the opportunity to stay and succeed in school. Specifically, this research will highlight: a) Data collected by CDE and CoCs, demonstrating data misalignment and the need for enhanced data collaboration between these agencies. b) The newly available dwelling-type data released by CDE to explore areas of most need for students facing homelessness. c) Explore strategies for increased alignment and improved services for students facing homelessness. METHODS ● Interviews with 9 County of Education staff (COE), 2 Continuum of Care(CoC) employee, education/housing non-profit organizations, and recipients of HUD programming ● Review of COE survey (2022, 2023) of 45 participants. This survey focused on coordination efforts among COE and CoC in all California districts. ● Comparing housing and education data to understand the newly public dwelling-type data from CDE and comparing it with publicly available housing data. KEY INSIGHTS & FINDINGS: ● A recommended best practice is to have COE staff serve on the CoC board and attend CoC meetings to share MKV homeless student needs and learn what housing support is locally available for homeless families. (Julie Luera, West Contra Costa USD) (Database to find CoC contact) ● COEs/ LEAs can gain view-only or edit access to HMIS, which would give them more detailed information about families and also share information about local organizations posting into the system with other services (Jennifer Kottke, Los Angeles County Ofice of Education) ● Nevada County has a pilot case manager position this year, housed in the County Office of Ed. but funded through a CoC grant ( ESG-CV2) . It has been highly successful to ensure warm hand-offs to services, removing barriers to education, etc. This position also holds a Homeless Management Information System ( HMIS) license. (Melissa Parrett, Nevada County Ofice of Education) RECOMMENDATIONS Ensuring CoC boards save seats for education staff to attend meetings: It is valuable to have an education staff member on the board of CoCs to both better understand what housing is locally available for homeless families and share resources/data from the school systems. Ensure education staff have read/edit access of HMIS: HMIS includes much more detailed information about families than typically known by education staff. Having read and edit access to HMIS allows for school staff to understand the full range of support being offered to their students and reduces retraumatizing families since their story

FAQs

What problem does the brief focus on regarding homeless student education?

It addresses how housing and education services can be better aligned to meet the comprehensive needs of students facing homelessness and help them stay and succeed in school.

How does the brief describe the relationship between CDE and CoCs?

It explains that CDE oversees public education and accountability, while CoCs coordinate homelessness funding regionally. The brief argues that integrating both agencies is vital for fully supporting homeless students and families.

What recommendations are proposed to improve coordination and services?

The brief recommends reserving seats for education staff on CoC boards, providing read/edit access to HMIS for education staff, incorporating youth voices, and adapting the student housing questionnaire to capture more detailed eligibility and referral information.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James