A district staff member described how Hudsonville Public Schools identifies and supports students under the federal McKinney‑Vento definition of homelessness and outlined partnerships the district uses to meet immediate needs.

The staff member said the district counts students living in shelters, on the streets, or in “doubled up” situations — where a family would be housing insecure if they were not staying with relatives or friends — and also tracks unaccompanied minors who live apart from custodial parents or guardians. “When I first started in this role, and then we had COVID ... nationally, there was a dip in numbers of students identified under McKinney‑Vento,” the staff member said. She said the district rebounded after COVID and that last year “we were at about, like, 125, 126 students that were identified.”

Why it matters: McKinney‑Vento entitles identified students to supports such as transportation to their school of origin and enrollment protections; the district said providing those services affects scheduling, transportation budgets and community partnerships.

The staff member described several community programs the district uses to meet needs fast. Care Portal is an online platform the district uses to post anonymized family needs to a network of churches, agencies and volunteers across roughly a 25‑mile radius; partners can claim and meet a listed need. “Care Portal has been awesome because it saves me from having to make a bazillion cold calls,” she said, and gave examples where community partners repaired a senior student’s tub and subfloor and where a local photographer agreed to provide low‑cost senior portraits.

The presenter also described partnerships with Love Your Neighbor and Hand to Hand for weekend food bags and backpacks, and a transportation partner the presenter referred to in the meeting transcript as “Hopskitt/ Hopscape/Hovsgate Drive” that provides rides when families do not have vehicles and the district must provide transportation to the school of origin. The staff member said the district’s transportation department coordinates those rides to avoid taxing school bus routes.

The staff member noted other supports and data: enrollment forms include living‑situation questions that trigger alerts to staff; the district presents to administrators annually to increase identification; and the presenter cited the ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) threshold to describe families who are one emergency away from housing insecurity. She also described split transportation billing when Hudsonville is the school of origin and the district of residence shares cost 50/50.

Participants from community groups were mentioned by name. Elizabeth Parish, identified in the meeting as community connection coordinator at Love Your Neighbor, was cited as confirming local partners are stretched thin. The presenter said United Way of West Michigan supplied county ALICE statistics and that local stakeholders told United Way affordable housing is the top concern in Ottawa County.

Discussion versus decisions: the presentation was descriptive and intended to inform the board; the transcript records no board motion or vote on services or funding during this item. The staff member warned of potential pressures on resources if state or federal funding is reduced and said she expects the identified student count to grow, particularly if school meal programs face cuts. “I actually expect us to probably grow a little bit more this year, especially with free lunch and breakfast kind of being on the chopping block,” she said.

Ending: the staff member asked board members to help spread awareness of supports and to continue partnering with local agencies; no formal action was taken during the portion of the meeting in the transcript.