As November is recognized as Homelessness Awareness Month, as well as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, the Regional Office of Education #26 (ROE26) is working to educate the communities it serves about the young people in area schools who might not have a place to call home and to have the resources in place to ensure the students receive the education they deserve.
According to Regional Superintendent John Meixner, educators and school staff are often the first adult contacts who can notice a student's housing situation.
'We all play a role in identifying, supporting and linking students and families to services,' Meixner explained. 'Every young person deserves a safe and stable place to call home.'
To help area youth who are experiencing homelessness, the ROE26 participates in the McKinney-Vento Homeless (MKV) Program. The McKinney-Vento Act, which was signed into law in 1987 and renamed McKinney-Vento in 2000, is a federal law guaranteeing all children and youth the right to an equal education, regardless of their living situation. Protection under the McKinney-Vento Act extends to those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. The SchoolHouse Connection (schoolhouseconnection. org) shared in a 2025 fact sheet that close to 1.4 million students in the U.S. experienced homelessness during the 2022-2023 school year, which was a 14 percent increase from the previous year, and that states are reporting even higher numbers for the 2023-2024 academic term.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported a 39 percent increase in families staying in homeless shelters or visibly on the streets in 2024, which was the highest of any population and the second consecutive year of increase.
According to Mike Snowden, ROE26 program director for McKinney- Vento Homeless Education, the program works to give assistance to youth who are in transitional housing, by providing backpacks, school supplies, hygiene products, transportation and school clothing. Each year, ROE26 provides, on average, 100-150 backpacks. The district's program also partners with the IRIS (Integrated Referral and Intake System) network to connect students with area agencies.
'We also work to provide guidance to area schools surrounding such topics as enrolling unhoused youth and numerous sensitive issues to help eliminate barriers for youth experiencing homelessness so they can access a free, appropriate, public education,' Snowden shared.
In addition, the ROE26 MVK program, which currently serves 271 youth in ROE26's 18 school districts, offers (and provides funds) for tutoring; professional development for teachers; assists school district homeless liaisons with connecting with other agencies; and resolves disputes with regard to unhoused status, choice of school and transportation. McKinney-Vento eligible students are also entitled to immediate enrollment (even if transcripts, birth certificates, and other records cannot be produced at time of enrollment); free school lunch and breakfast; fee waivers; and choice of school (between the school where they resided when they became homeless and the school where they reside now).
'Without the McKinney- Vento program, many families and unaccompanied youths would not be in attendance at school, or receiving the rights and benefits that McKinney-Vento provides,' Snowden added.
The program is funded by Illinois State Board of Education through the McKinney-Vento Grant and the American Rescue Plan/ McKinney-Vento Grant.
Students in need of assistance, or individuals who are concerned about a child and/or family, can contact Snowden at (309) 575-3259 or [email protected].
Area temporary shelters, The Samaritan Well (SW) and Genesis Garden (GG), often serve families with children. Amber Clark, SW director, and Melissa Calhoun, GG director,reported as of Nov. 5 their residences serve as home to three children under the age of 18 and nine children under 18, respectively. Between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, children under the age of 18 accounted for 30 percent of the residents at The Samaritan Well (23 were under 18, with 11 of the 23 being under the age of five). During that same timeframe at Genesis Garden, across all of the organization's services, children composed more than one-third of those supported with 116 under age 18 (27 of the 116 were under the age five), while four between the ages of 18-24 were parents.
The agencies' directors added they are also 'greatly concerned' about the present cessation of SNAP benefits, which in turn greatly impacts their residents.
'The funds were being saved in order to move into permanent housing will now be shifted to buy food. This could impact the length of time a family or individual may need to stay in a shelter,' Clark explained.
Calhoun noted the SNAP gap, coupled with rising food costs, are affecting the families they serve.
'The SNAP gap is not a trivial amount. We have families who receive $1,300 a month month in SNAP, which is the equivalent of monthly rent for that household size,' she concluded. 'Our estimate is that McDonough County residents are supported by an estimated $830,000 in SNAP per month. Household funds that would have gone toward rent are going to have to be shifted to buy food.'
