Access to Educational Services for Homeless Youth Ages 12 to 15 in Minneapolis

The subject of this study is access to educational services for homeless 12 to 15 year old youth. The study used interviews with key informants to answer three questions, What are the educational and support services, what are the eligibility requirements for using the services and what are barriers to accessing services. Using the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act as an indicator of the legally mandated services youth are entitled to four areas were identified that have the potential to act as a barrier to service, residency requirements, guardianship issues, placement/enrollment and services to support success. Seven interviews were conducted with teachers, social workers, and administrators from three agencies in Minneapolis. While unable to generalize from this study, the data suggests that while there are services for homeless youth, the youth in this age range have fewer services available