McKinney-Vento

History of McKinney-Vento Law

The McKinney-Vento Act was enacted due to the numerous barriers homeless children faced in obtaining a free, appropriate public education.

During the 1980s, the federal government recognized the magnitude of the problem of homelessness within our country and, more specifically, the increasing incidences of homelessness among families with children and unaccompanied youth. To address this issue, Congress passed the Stewart B. McKinney Act, reauthorized most recently as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.