Leer en Español, traducido por El Vocero Hispano
All districts — Local school districts are seeing an increase in students facing homelessness, as housing prices soar and schools face uncertainty about the future of funding earmarked for serving that population.
Casey Gordon, special populations consultant at Kent ISD and regional McKinney-Vento Act coordinator, works with school district liaisons in Kent and Allegan counties who serve students and families who are experiencing homelessness.
“We are seeing increased identification numbers up from last year, and in some cases, significantly (increased),” she said.
And while funding is secured for services for homeless students through the McKinney-Vento Act for the 2025-2026 school year, the situation after that depends on decisions to be made at a federal level.
‘We are seeing families … who are needing homeless services longer, because they are struggling to be able to find anything affordable and anything sustainable.’
— Casey Gordon, Kent ISD special populations consultant
The president’s 2026 budget proposal not only cuts funding for the Department of Education by 15%, it would also effectively remove existing support provided through the McKinney-Vento Act for children experiencing homelessness.
“We are unsure of what funding will look like beyond this year,” Gordon said. “Like many funds being scrutinized by the federal government as of late, money for students in homelessness is no exception.”
The proposed federal budget would end the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program and consolidate it, along with 17 other programs, into a block grant. Schools could choose to use funds from this newly created block grant to serve homeless students, but there would be no requirement to do so.
“If that occurs, that would end up basically removing McKinney-Vento guaranteed protections for students experiencing homelessness,” Gordon said.
The U.S. Department of Education allocates McKinney-Vento funding to states based on their proportion of Title I, Part A federal funds. Michigan then distributes these federal funds to local school districts through subgrants.
For the 2024-25 school year, Kent ISD received the second largest McKinney-Vento grant in the state of Michigan (behind Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency) at $218,000, plus additional carryover funds of $75,000.
What is the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987?
A federal law that provides important educational rights and services to children and youth in grades pre-K through 12 who are experiencing homelessness:
• Guarantees that a student receives transportation even if they are residing outside of the district of origin.
• Allows students to immediately enroll in a school even if they are missing required documents or records.
• Covers student fees for field trips or school-sponsored sports, instrument rental costs, FAFSA and federal aid options.
• Provides hygiene items to support students’ well-being and ability to attend school.
Source: SchoolHouse Connection
States were notified by the U.S. Department of Education in mid-June that they will receive their allocation for next school year. Kent ISD will receive an anticipated total of about $205,000.
Housing Costs Out of Reach for Many
According to MISchoolData, during the 2023-24 school year, 35,495 students were identified as homeless in Michigan public schools. That was up from 32,762 students in 2022-23, 28,724 in 2021-22 and 26,867 in 2020-21.
Locally, during the 2023-24 school year, they included 575 students, or about 4% of the student population, in GRPS; 314 students (3%) in Kentwood; 86 students (2%) in Wyoming; 99 students (3%) in Kenowa Hills; and 101 students (6%) in Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.
Though the 2024-25 numbers aren’t yet available, Gordon said there has been a continued increase in the rate of people facing homelessness, primarily caused by the high cost of housing.
The price of an entry-level home was $205,707 in 2022, up from $66,356 in 2001, an increase of 126 percent. During that same period, the median annual wage rose by just 26 percent, from $27,480 in 2001 to $42,730 in 2022, according to Housing Kent.
According to Zillow, the average Kent County home value was $348,856 on July 16, up 3% over the past year.
Rent is also inaccessible for many. With the average studio to one-bedroom dwelling costing about $1,200 per month in the Grand Rapids area, according to Apartments.com, locating affordable housing for families is rare.
“It’s hard to find something for multiple family members, multiple bedrooms,” Gordon said. “It’s horribly difficult and the housing market is so hot right now. Houses are getting presented instantly with multiple offers. Finding a place that is your own residence is really difficult.”
Other Barriers to Housing
Gordon works with many community partners to help families and youth in homelessness, including ICCF Community Homes, which is also seeing high levels of need.
Berniz Terpstra, ICCF Community Homes vice president of housing and family services, said high housing costs are keeping shelters full with few options.
“What we are seeing (is) the barriers are just getting worse,” Terpstra said. “The high cost of living is basically making it unattainable for individuals to lease or own a home. … For single parent families it is (especially) hard because they don’t have two incomes. They have one and it’s limited.”
Making things even more difficult, Gordon said, is a lack of adequate housing assistance, such as government-funded vouchers that cover a portion of rent. The costs of renting can be prohibitive even if someone has a solid income, often requiring an upfront payment of the first and last month’s rent, a security deposit and proof that income is three times the cost of rent. Other barriers to housing include a lack of (or bad) credit and an eviction history.
“People are on lots and lots of waiting lists for buildings (to rent) or to try and get a housing voucher,” Gordon said. “We are seeing families and students, children and youth who are needing homeless services longer, because they are struggling to be able to find anything affordable and anything sustainable.”
Gordon also fears cuts to housing programs, such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program and Rapid Rehousing, as well as to food assistance and Medicaid, will take a major toll on the well-being of families.
“Families are experiencing homelessness right here in our community,” she said. “It is critical that our housing programs and housing assistance programs are funded so we can continue to help people. It’s critical that the McKinney-Vento Act continues and that it is funded. We are very concerned that if it becomes part of a block grant, schools or states will choose not to prioritize students who are facing homelessness.
“Without those programs, we are very concerned students won’t have their needs met.”
Read more from our districts:
• Approved federal voucher program is scaled-back version of original plan
• How districts have used enhancement millage funds
