MISSION STATEMENT

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) shall provide an educational environment that treats all students with dignity and respect. Every CPS homeless student shall have equal access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students who are not homeless. This commitment to the educational rights of homeless children and youth applies to all the services, programs and activities provided or made available by the CPS.

View the CPS HEP Manual for more information about the Homeless Education Program. It is saved as a portable document format (PDF) file. If you cannot view PDF files, then you need to download the free Acrobat Reader plug-in.

CATEGORIES OF `HOMELESSNESS´

A family living in a variety of living arrangements can be "homeless" (examples: living in shelters, doubled-up, etc.). "Homeless person, child or youth" includes but is not limited to any of the following:

1. An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime place of abode.

2. An individual who has a primary nighttime place of abode that is:

1. a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, transitional housing;

2. an institution that provides temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or

3. a public or private place not designated for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

In general, these  individuals are also considered homeless: children or youth living in welfare hotels, transitional building shelters, the streets, cars abandoned buildings, and other inadequate accommodations; children and youth in transitional or emergency shelters or living in trailer parks and camping grounds; "doubled-up" children and youth; school-age welfare unwed mothers and have no other available living accommodations; runaways, and youth who are rendered homeless by their parents.

U.S. Department of Education "Preliminary Guidance" Categories of Homeless Children (June 1995)

For more information on Homeless Rights, view the following documents:

• CPS Policy on the Education of the Homeless Children and Youth
• Federal Law - McKinnley / Vento - At A Glance
• State Law Illinois Education - Education of the Homeless Children and Youth
• Illinois State Board Policy - Education of the Homeless Children and Youth

If you have questions or want more information, call the CPS Homeless Education Program at 773.553.2242 (fax: 773.553.2182), Chicago Public Schools at 773.553.1000, Illinois State Board of Education at 1-800-215-6379, or email the Homeless Education Program