The challenges facing homeless liaisons across the nation are intensifying. According to the 2025 Nationwide McKinney-Vento Study, a staggering 55% of school districts reported year-over-year increases in McKinney-Vento students. This surge has created larger caseloads for homeless liaisons who are already stretched thin due to part-time roles and other responsibilities, impacting the comprehensive support these vulnerable students desperately need.
As student homelessness continues to rise, districts face another significant challenge: the expiration of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds that many relied on to enhance services for students experiencing homelessness. This combination of increased demand and reduced funding creates a critical gap that threatens the quality of support available to some of our most vulnerable learners. Nearly half of this year’s survey respondents expressed concern about the stability of federal funding.
Homeless liaisons are finding themselves managing more cases with fewer resources, making it increasingly difficult to provide timely identification, enrollment assistance, transportation coordination, and academic support. The ripple effects impact not just individual students, but entire school communities working to ensure educational stability for students experiencing homelessness.
Technology as a Force Multiplier
In this challenging landscape, technology solutions like Student Support Tracker emerge as essential tools for maximizing efficiency and impact, yet most districts are not taking advantage of these tools to amplify the capabilities of their dedicated staff members.
Student Support Tracker offers comprehensive case management tools specifically designed to streamline the complex work of supporting McKinney-Vento students. The platform enables homeless liaisons to save precious time while speeding service delivery through automated workflows that handle routine but critical tasks like updating transportation services, notifying food service coordinators of enrollment changes, and processing address updates across multiple systems.
Perhaps most importantly, the system helps expand the network of support by empowering district staff to serve as additional “eyes and ears.” Teachers, counselors, bus drivers, and administrators can easily submit referrals when they identify students who may be experiencing homelessness, ensuring faster identification and timely connection to the services needed
Beyond McKinney-Vento: Maximizing Funding Through Multi-Program Support
One of the most strategic advantages of case management platforms is their ability to serve multiple at-risk populations simultaneously. Student Support Tracker doesn’t just support McKinney-Vento students—it can also be used for other at-risk groups such as Title I, Title III, Foster, Migrant, Immigrant, and English Learner students.
This multi-program capability is crucial for funding sustainability. Districts can leverage various funding streams to support technology investments, including the Title I Part A set-aside requirement specifically designated for students experiencing homelessness. By serving multiple student populations through one platform, districts can justify costs across several budgets and federal programs.
Creative Funding Solutions for Sustainability
With ARP funds no longer available, districts must think creatively about funding sources for homeless student services. Beyond federal programs, several options deserve consideration:
State and Local Funding: Many states have dedicated funding for homeless education or broader student support initiatives that can support case management technology.
Grant Opportunities: Private foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies regularly offer grants focused on supporting vulnerable student populations.
Community Partnerships: Local businesses, hospitals, and healthcare systems often have community benefit funds that can support educational technology benefiting homeless students.
Collaborative Funding Models: State or regional consortiums or educational cooperatives can share costs across multiple districts, making comprehensive solutions more affordable for individual districts.
Measuring Impact and Demonstrating Value
Student Support Tracker’s built-in reporting and analytics capabilities help districts document the impact of their investments. By tracking goals and services provided, improving support response times, and collecting feedback from support partners, districts can demonstrate the tangible benefits of streamlined case management.
This data becomes invaluable when seeking continued funding or applying for grants. Concrete evidence of improved identification rates, faster service delivery, and enhanced coordination among support partners makes compelling cases for sustained investment.
Moving Forward: Strategic Investment in Student Success
The reality facing homeless liaisons isn’t going to change overnight. Students experiencing homelessness will likely continue rising, and federal funding will remain uncertain. In this environment, strategic investments in tools that multiply the impact of dedicated staff become not just helpful, but essential.
Districts that proactively adopt comprehensive student support systems position themselves to better serve growing numbers of McKinney-Vento students while managing costs and maximizing existing staff capacity. More importantly, they ensure that at-risk students receive the timely, coordinated support they need to regularly attend school and succeed academically despite the challenges they face outside of school.