Homeless Higher Education

McKinney-Vento Eligibility & Access to Higher Education

Currently a high school student experiencing housing instability?

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is federal law supporting the education of students experiencing homelessness.  The definition of homelessness under the law is broader than one might think, and includes any individual lacking a fixed, regular and adequate primary nighttime residence. 

For many Colorado students and families homelessness under this definition might look like:

• Sharing the housing of others due to economic hardship or natural disaster
• Couch surfing from a friend’s house to a relative’s house without a reliable, stable or even safe place to sleep every night
• Living in a car or a campground
• Staying in a hotel/motel due to lack housing 

If you have questions about your housing situation and whether you would qualify for McKinney-Vento rights under the law, connect with your school district’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Liaison. List of McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons.

Opportunities in Higher Education: Colorado Students Experiencing Homelessness 

If you have been identified by your school district’s McKinney-Vento Liaison as experiencing homelessness at any point during highschool, you may be eligible for the EmpowerEd Program.  

EmpowerEd (HB24-1403) is a state-funded program, administered by the Colorado Department of Higher Education to provide higher education funding and support to individuals who experienced homelessness and were identified as being McKinney-Vento eligible by a designated school personnel while enrolled in a Colorado high school.  

Please reference the EmpowerEd webpage for additional details on the eligibility criteria and the application process.  

As a McKinney-Vento District Liaison you may be asked to provide proof of eligibility for students who qualified for McKinney-Vento services after October 2023.  Please use the following form in those instances. 

Opportunities in Higher Education for Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) are youth experiencing homelessness as defined by McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian.  UHY will face the unique challenges of homelessness while living on their own.  Of the nearly 18,000 identified homeless students in the 2022-23 school year across Colorado, 2,045 or 11.4% were identified as unaccompanied homeless youth. 

Students experiencing housing instability face several unique challenges in accessing, staying stable in and succeeding in educational systems.  The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is the primary piece of federal legislation that works to remove educational barriers for students who are identified as homeless.  

In Colorado, during the 2022-23 school year, 17,894 students lacked a fixed, regular and adequate primary nighttime residence.  Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Unaccompanied Homeless Youth must be made aware of their right to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as an independent student. As an independent student, you do not need to provide your parent’s financial information on the FAFSA.  

Changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) went into effect July 1, 2023, broadening authorized verifiers of an unaccompanied youth’s status as experiencing, or at-risk of homelessness.  

If you are a youth who meets the definition of homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and is not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian, one of the following people may be able to assist you in filing as an independent student on the FAFSA.  

• School district homeless liaisons or their designee;
• The director or a designee of a director of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness;
• The director or a designee of a director of a program funded under a TRIO or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for an Undergraduate program (“GEAR UP”) grant;
• The director or designee of a program funded under subtitle B of title IV of McKinney-Vento (relating to emergency shelter grants) (42 U.S.C. 11371 et seq.);
• A financial aid administrator at the current institution or at another institution who previously made a determination.