August Newsletter: Learning Without a Home -- Supporting Students This School Year

Sep 7, 2025
3 min read

While many students are planning first-day outfits and picking out backpacks, nearly 1.4 million U.S. children start school without a stable place to live. Though homelessness is mainly discussed in adults, children suffer similar consequences and are often ostracized in school.

The Hidden Struggle of Student Homelessness

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, homelessness is not just living on the streets. Homelessness can include living temporarily with friends and relatives, staying in motels or shelters, living in camping grounds, trailer parks, and much more. In Virginia alone, 8,000+ students faced homelessness during the 2022-2023 school year. These students are faced with daily challenges such as keeping clean, having reliable meals, and finding quiet places to study, often leading to peer bullying and unstable academic performance in school. Other central challenges include chronic absenteeism, frequent school changes, and lack of access to educational resources, creating barriers that follow these children into adulthood. These factors highlight the need for programs that provide resources and individualized counseling to students experiencing these factors, allowing them to perform at their maximum potential as students.

Technology and Learning Resources

As the world develops, especially in areas such as Virginia, access to technology is not always a convenience – it's a necessity. Without reliable devices, internet, or quiet places to study and participate in online lessons, students experiencing homelessness can often fall behind on coursework. Many students rely on public libraries, peers’ homes, and shelters for internet access, which often comes with limitations such as restricted hours, overcrowded areas, and a lack of privacy.

This divide does not just apply to homework. Grades, confidence, and social engagement can all be impacted by missing out of assignments and opportunities that many other students get access to. This gap can create long-term setbacks in education, widening the opportunity gap in a technology-centered world.

Support systems, such as providing loaner laptops and computer lab access, can play crucial roles in bridging these gaps. McKinney-Vento liaisons help ensure that students get these resources along with the help of community programs and nonprofits. However, this gap is still apparent today, driving the need for change.

Protections for Students

Due to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, students experiencing homelessness are entitled to:

Immediate school enrollment, even without documentation
Transportation to school of origin
Free meals
Access to extracurriculars
Support from liaisons and school social workers

However, in spite of these protections, opportunities are still not always equal due to situational circumstances and multifaceted factors that are not addressed.

How Can You Help?

Community involvement makes all the difference. To support students experiencing homelessness this back-to-school season, you can volunteer for tutoring and after-school programs, help assemble hygiene kits, help a friend gain access to a stable source of internet, advocate for expanded support systems in schools, and more. These efforts not only provide critical resources, but also foster stability and hope for children navigating housing insecurity.

Project Hope Haven’s Mission

Project Hope Haven remains committed to combating homelessness and providing hope to vulnerable communities. By taking a hands-on approach, the organization continues to make a direct impact, one project at a time. Moving forward, Project Hope Haven plans to expand its outreach efforts, organize additional donation drives, and collaborate with local organizations to create sustainable solutions, all while keeping cultural significance in mind. Through collective action and compassion, Project Hope Haven strives to make a lasting difference in the fight against homelessness.

Bibliography:

America’s Health Rankings. (n.d.-a). Explore students experiencing homelessness in Virginia. https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measures/homeless_students/VA

Back to school preparations. Glocusent. (2022, July 10). https://glocusent.com/blogs/book-light/back-to-school-preparations

Cline, N. (2023, May 10). Virginia student homelessness numbers near pre-pandemic levels . https://virginiamercury.com/2023/05/10/virginia-student-homelessness-numbers-near-pre-pandemic-levels/

Dreamstime. (n.d.-b). 238,789 kids school stock photos - free & royalty-free stock photos from Dreamstime. https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/kids-school.html

McKinney-Vento Definition – National Center for Homeless Education. NCHE. (n.d.). https://nche.ed.gov/mckinney-vento-definition/

SchoolHouse Connection. (n.d.). 2025 fact sheet: Educating children and youth experiencing homelessness. SchoolHouse Connection. https://schoolhouseconnection.org/article/2025-fact-sheet-educating-children-and-youth-experiencing-homelessness

Softschools. Habyts. (n.d.). https://habyts.com/activities-for-kids/softschool/