Washington has a rare chance to strengthen our safety net for students experiencing homelessness.

Nearly 50,000 Washington students experienced homelessness last year, even as the Homeless Student Stability Program — which links students to housing support — faces the potential loss of nearly a third of its funding.

The federal McKinney-Vento Act keeps students experiencing homelessness enrolled in school and connected to transportation. But it stops short of what every child needs to learn and thrive: housing stability. By pairing McKinney-Vento protections with Washington’s Homeless Student Stability Program, our state can create the nation’s first fully integrated education and housing safety net.

McKinney-Vento ensures that a student can remain in school even when their housing situation falls apart. The Homeless Student Stability Program provides the other half of the solution with flexible housing assistance and wraparound supports that stabilize families so students can focus on learning. Together, they provide students a pathway to stability. In 2024, the Homeless Student Stability Program supported more than 13,000 students across 49 school districts, including a 16-year-old student in Spokane whose family regained stability.

After months of couch-surfing and an unstable stay with her mother’s former partner, the teen was referred by her high school counselor to Mike, an Open Doors youth specialist. Mike negotiated with a private landlord after multiple rejections, used Homeless Student Stability Program funds to cover $4,200 in move-in costs, and helped the family secure an apartment just before Christmas. He also provided household essentials and connected them with food and support programs. With housing in place, the student returned to school ready to focus on learning and her future.

At the federal level, recent budget proposals would eliminate all funding for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, the core funding stream that makes McKinney-Vento protections possible nationwide. Because these protections depend on federal dollars flowing to states and districts, cutting that funding would strip away rights for more than a million students. Only three states — Colorado, Maryland and New Jersey — have written McKinney-Vento-level protections into state law, while Washington still relies entirely on federal protections. In an era of political volatility and threats to the Department of Education itself, hoping that Washington, D.C., will act responsibly is not a plan.

Lawmakers here can act now. First, pass legislation that codifies McKinney-Vento protections in Washington statute so they remain in effect regardless of federal politics. Second, expand the Homeless Student Stability Program statewide and fund it so districts and community partners can respond quickly and flexibly. Third, commit to sustained, bipartisan funding so every student has both a desk and a door to call their own. Encouragingly, the governor’s proposed budget includes continued funding for the Homeless Student Stability Education Program, which supports school-based identification and services for students experiencing homelessness, alongside the Homeless Student Stability Program’s housing-focused prevention efforts.

By expanding the Homeless Student Stability Program and writing McKinney-Vento protections into state law, Washington can guarantee that every student experiencing homelessness can find stability.

Aaron Yared is the director of policy and advocacy at Building Changes, a Seattle-based nonprofit that advances promising and proven strategies to reduce family and youth homelessness.