Students Experiencing Homelessness

Children experiencing homelessness have a right to:

• Consistently attend school no matter where they stay at night (shelter, motel, car, temporarily with family/friends)
• Participate fully in all school activities and programs for which they are eligible
• Continue to attend the same school upon moving away from the school’s attendance area or school district
• Receive transportation from where they are currently staying back to the school of origin
• Enroll in local school where they are staying without a permanent residence or proof of residency
• Immediately attend school while the school obtains records (immunization record, cumulative records, special education documents)
• Automatically receive free/reduced price lunches and other services of the food program without an application

You can enroll in school even if you have: 

• Uncertain housing 
• A temporary address 
• No permanent physical address 

You are guaranteed enrollment in school by the federal McKinneyVento Act and California state law if you live: 

• In a house or apartment with more than one family due to loss of housing or economic hardship 
• With friends or family because you are a runaway or an unaccompanied youth 
• In substandard housing (without electricity, water, or heat) 
• In a shelter (family, domestic violence, or youth shelter or transitional living program) 
• In a motel, hotel, or weekly rate housing 
• In an abandoned building, in a car, at a campground, or on the streets

If you are experiencing homelessness, contact your school’s homeless liaison:

St. HOPE Public School 7 (PS7)

Jamie Fields (jfields@sthopepublicschools.org) — 916-649-7850

Sacramento Charter High School (Sac High)

Alexis Ribeiro (aribeiro@sthopepublicschools.org) — 916-277-2422