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School liaison: nearly 2,500 students in Washington County qualify for McKinney‑Vento supports
Summary
A school liaison told the council that close to 2,500 individual students in Washington County currently qualify for McKinney‑Vento services, that unaccompanied youth numbers are rising amid increased ICE activity, and that some families decline federal supports for fear of exposure.
During committee updates, a school district liaison reported that nearly 2,500 individual students in Washington County currently qualify for McKinney‑Vento services.
The liaison said the district continues to see increases in families qualifying because of high‑emergency situations and an uptick in families living in vehicles. They also reported an increase in unaccompanied youth driven by parents being detained or self‑deporting amid increased ICE activity. "We're continuing to see the same trend... a lot more families in their vehicles compared to previous years," the liaison said, and added that some families are declining McKinney‑Vento supports because the program is federally labeled and families fear exposure, though they emphasized confidentiality safeguards.
The liaison also said proposed federal budget cuts to McKinney‑Vento and related houseless youth supports were being contested at the national level and that bipartisan support has blocked previous proposed cuts.
Council members received the report and discussed connections between school‑age houselessness, outreach and prevention strategies; no formal action was taken.
