The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:
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Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
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Children and youth who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, shelters
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Children and youth 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
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Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
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Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above
