Welcome to the Homeless Education Services and McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison section of the website. Here you will find information about practices and resources to support those students experiencing homelessness.

The Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program is authorized under the McKinney-Vento Act which seeks to address the challenges that homeless children and youths may face in enrolling, attending and succeeding in school.

The EHCY program is authorized under Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.). The act was first authorized in 1987 and re-authorized in December 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Under the act, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youths.

Homeless children and youths must have access to the educational and related services that they need to meet the same challenging state academic standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment.

ADE and our school district are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices or policies that may be barriers to the identification, enrollment, attendance or success in school of homeless children and youths.

Gurdon Public Schools' pertinent stakeholders use the resources found here to guide these processes.

Please give us your feedback on this and our other federal programs: GPSD Federal Programs Survey

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Therefore, those three key characteristics mean that students may qualify for services if they are living with a non-custodial guardian, if they are staying with friends, if their family is sharing housing with others due to financial reasons, or if they are living with other family members due to the deployment of a parent or guardian.

As part of the registration packet, students and their families complete and submit a residency form.

This form is reviewed by district personnel so that follow-up contact can be used to determine if services are warranted and what services may best serve the student's needs.

If you believe your children may be eligible, contact the local liaison to find out what services and supports may be available. There also may be supports available for your preschool-age children.

Although the school district cannot pay utility bills and provide housing for students and their families, the district's homeless liaison contacts local officials, area places of worship, and other community partners to try to help families in need.

Students without fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residences have the following rights:

1. Immediate enrollment in the school they last attended or the local school where they are currently staying even if they do not have all of the documents normally required at the time of enrollment without fear of being separated or treated differently due to their housing situations;

2. Transportation to the school of origin for the regular school day;

3. Access to free meals, Title I and other educational programs, and transportation to extra-curricular activities to the same extent that it is offered to other students.

Any questions about these rights can be directed to the Gurdon Public School District's McKinney-Vento Liaison at 870-353-4454 extension 136 or the State Coordinator at 501-683-5428.

• McKinney-Vento Subgrant Authorized Activities ... local schools like ours have opportunities to meet needs in the ways listed. Our schools also use community partnerships to address needs beyond this list.

• U.S. Department of the Treasury: Emergency Rental Assistance Program ... Even as the American economy continues its recovery from the devastating impact of the pandemic, millions of Americans face deep rental debt and fear evictions and the loss of basic housing security. COVID-19 has exacerbated an affordable housing crisis that predated the pandemic and that has deep disparities that threaten the strength of an economic recovery that must work for everyone.

  To meet this need, the Emergency Rental Assistance program makes funding available to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities.

• Arkansas Department of Human Services: Rental Assistance

  • The Arkansas Rent Relief Program is no longer accepting new applications or extension applications as of noon on April 1, 2022. Applications that have already been received will be processed. You may check on the status of an existing application by clicking the Track Status button below.

  • Low-income Arkansans needing rental, homelessness prevention, or rapid re-housing assistance can apply for funds through the Emergency Solutions Grant program, funded by DHS, and administered by organizations across the state. Funding is available for eligible individuals. To find an Emergency Solutions Grant provider, please click here.

• FindHelp.org ... search by ZIP code for financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, and other resources that are available for free or at a reduced cost.

• Bright Futures, USA ... an organization with a simple yet powerful goal: meet any child’s basic need within 24 hours of identifying the need. This is done through a rapid-response system using existing resources and / or social media. In many cases, needs are met in minutes. The school system acts as the liaison between the student and the donor. Needs are identified by teachers, counselors, and school personnel.

• Every Arkansan ... a combination of the Arkansas Dream Center and CityServe Arkansas organizations working with local stakeholders to help Arkansans with practical needs.

Please let us know if you find additional resources to help our students and their families!