Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Children and youths experiencing homelessness are individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including: 

• Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals; 
• Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C)); 
• Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and 
• Migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described above. 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title VII, Subtitle B, Section 725(2) 

Questions regarding McKinney-Vento eligibility should be directed to:   

Saba Suleman, State Coordinator 
New Jersey Department of Education 
Office of Supplemental Educational Programs 
Telephone: (609) 376-9080 
mckinney.vento@doe.nj.gov