The Challenge

The NCHE Annual Report: Student Homelessness in America (2024) reported that over 1.3 million children and youth experiencing homelessness were enrolled in public schools during the 2022–23 school year—a 25% increase from 2020–21. This sharp rise has intensified pressure on State and Local Educational Agencies (SEAs and LEAs) to meet the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which mandates protections and supports for this population. SEAs and LEAs face significant challenges in interpreting and applying federal mandates, ensuring compliance, building sustainable systems, and using data to improve outcomes.

‍

The Solution

Safal supports NCHE in delivering responsive, field-informed compliance and performance support so SEAs and LEAs can interpret and apply McKinney-Vento requirements with confidence. Specifically, Safal:

‍

Manages the national helpline that provides immediate support to state coordinators and local liaisons—responding to 90+ inquiries each month with practical, real-time answers to implementation and compliance questions.
Delivers individualized compliance support to SEAs over a six-month period to provide each SEA with customized resources and training to build their capacity to meet their responsibilities under the McKinney-Vento Act—bridging the gap between federal requirements and everyday implementation.
Translates policy into practice for the field delivering national training and developing public awareness guides—reaching thousands of educators with practical, high-impact strategies.
Strengthens systems for compliance and data quality conducting regular SEA website reviews, and managing the federal infrastructure for collecting and reporting EHCY Program data, as required by 42 U.S.C. § 11434(h)(1).