Texas should adopt the McKinney-Vento homeless definition to maximize support for children and youth by ensuring they are counted and have access to effective interventions to break the cycle of poverty permanently.
Key points
– Based on how it defines a homeless family, the HUD PIT Count underestimates the scope of the homelessness problem Texas faces.
– Those excluded—largely homeless families—are ineligible for the largest source of publicly funded homelessness resources available.
– The long-term ramifications of a homeless child without access to early and effective intervention will dramatically exacerbate the crisis in the state.