TEA Launches New Hotline to Support Students Experiencing Homelessness

The Texas Education Agency has introduced a new statewide resource to support students and families facing housing instability. The Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY) program features a toll-free hotline to provide real-time connection with experts and access to direct support resources.

Additionally, through a new web-intake form, parents, caregivers, and educators can submit questions and requests at any time.

According to TEA, the hotline's trained experts can help with school enrollment, navigating community resources, identifying students without stable housing, and providing technical assistance for district homeless liaisons. Texas AFT welcomes this initiative, as our union believes no family should face the challenges of homelessness alone.

For educators and school staff, the TEHCY Support Hotline and portal provide new tools to fulfil obligations under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal law enacted in 1987. These obligations include identifying students experiencing homelessness, ensuring immediate school enrollment, removing barriers like lack of transportation or required paperwork, and coordinating with local services.

For our pre-K-12 members, this is a timely resource, especially given the increased housing instability many students face. We encourage you to share this hotline number and the web-portal link with your campus teams, district liaisons, and families in need.