Most children and youth who are displaced by disasters are likely to be eligible for the protections and services of the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Act because they will meet the subtitle’s definition of homelessness. The McKinney-Vento education definition of homelessness includes children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. 42 U.S.C. §11434A(2)(A). It specifically covers children and youth living in shelters, transitional housing, cars, campgrounds, motels, substandard housing, and sharing the housing of others temporarily due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reasons. 42 U.S.C. §11434A(2)(B). The Act also provides a means for identifying these children and youth: all local educational agencies (LEAs: school districts and many charter schools) are required to designate a liaison for McKinney-Vento students who is able to carry out ten specific legal duties, including identifying children and youth who meet the definition of homelessness. 42 U.S.C. §11432(g)(1)(J)(ii).

 - SCHOOLHOUSE CONNECTION: Supporting Children and Youth Displaced by Disasters | SchoolHouse Connection

Housing for People and Pets

1. Evacuation Center: Pasadena Convention Center. Your immigration status does not matter. Everyone is welcome.

2. All Saints Church, everyone is welcome.

3. 211 LA is partnering with Airbnb to offer free temporary shelter for people displaced from their homes by fire.

4. Humane Society: On-site at Convention Center to accept pets for boarding

5. Dogtopia of East Pasadena is offering three free overnight stays for pups from families displaced by fire and a 50% discount afterwards

Food, Drink, Phone Charging

1. Planet Fitness on Lake Avenue is offering anyone affected by the fires, including first responders, free access to their facilities, including showers, locker rooms, charging ports and WiFi.

2. Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery is offering free boxed lunches and charging ports.

3. Chick-fil-A is handing out free bag lunches to evacuees and first responders outside of the Pasadena Convention Center.

4. Yeastie Boys handing out free bagels to evacuees and first responders outside of the Pasadena Convention Center.

5. San Marino Community Church is offer charging stations and internet.

Community Alerts

1. Water Alert: Do not drink tap water in evacuated areas until further notice.

2. Pasadena Transit & Dial-A-Ride service is suspended.

3. If you do not live or work in the impacted fire area, please stay out.

If your rental has been affected by the fires and you have questions as a landlord or tenant, HRC is here to help.

Recovering from a natural disaster is a challenging process for everyone, especially renters and landlords.

When a rental unit is damaged, questions often come up about repairs, habitability, security deposits, and the future of the lease.

The Housing Rights Center (HRC) is here to help tenants and landlords in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties understand their rights and responsibilities.

HRC understands that every situation is unique. Our trained Housing Counselors are available to provide free, private, and confidential housing counseling to residents as we navigate this emergency together.

Learn more by visiting our website at: housingrightscenter.org/get-help

Open from M-F from 7:30-4pm

(213) 202 7581

Please visit the HETAC's Disaster Preparation and Response webpage as a starting place for helpful information and resources. Please also remember that you are welcome to submit a question to the HETAC either by emailing Susie and me directly or by using the Get Help feature on the HETAC website. Local educational agency (LEA) liaisons and other stakeholders also are welcome to submit questions via the HETAC's Get Help feature, although we generally encourage LEA liaisons to check with their COE liaisons first so that we are supporting your role and you have the opportunity to respond first to questions/issues in your county.

Determining McKinney-Vento Eligibility for Children and Youth Displaced by Disaster

Federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program Guidance addresses the issue of McKinney-Vento eligibility among children and youth displaced by disasters in question F-5. How should local liaisons conduct outreach and identification following natural disasters and other catastrophic events? on pages 18-19. While many children and youth displaced by disaster will meet the McKinney-Vento Act's definition of homeless, in question F-5, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) reminds local educational agencies (LEAs) to make McKinney-Vento eligibility determinations on a case-by-case basis among displaced youth and families. ED also offers additional suggestions for LEAs dealing with the aftermath of disaster. We recommend reading this guidance question. You also may want to visit the HETAC's Determining Eligibility webpage and/or consult the National Center for Homeless Education's Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services issue brief.

Educational Rights of McKinney-Vento Eligible Children and Youth

If a child or youth is determined to meet the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless, that student should be served under the McKinney-Vento Act, including via immediate school enrollment, even if lacking records normally required. For a full list of the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness and resources related to implementing those rights, visit the HETAC's California Local Educational Agency Primer: The Educational Rights of Students Experiencing Homelessness webpage.

As I am sure you are aware, the Los Angeles area is facing terrible devastation due to the ongoing fire disaster. Many families have been and will be displaced due to the destruction in their area and homes.  I want to make you aware that there will likely be families who are displaced to San Diego county.  There may be families who come to stay with relatives or friends here as well as families who are accessing discounted hotel rates for fire victims.  The San Diego County Lodging Association has posted this list of hotels who are offering assistance to fire victims, as well as this list posted at the San Diego Tourism Authority.  I would encourage you to check the list for hotels in your area so that you can be prepared to accept those students.  It may even be worth checking to see if the hotel will hand out an enrollment brochure or one pager with your contact information for those families.  

Please be aware that children and youth who are displaced by disasters, like other students in homeless situations, are forced to live in a variety of unstable, temporary arrangements. These arrangements can include facilities set up by relief and community agencies, motels, cars, campgrounds, and sharing the housing of others. The McKinney-Vento Act contains a specific definition of homelessness that includes a broad array of inadequate living situations. Students who are displaced by disasters generally will meet this definition, and it is up to the homeless liaison to make that determination.

For additional information, the Homeless Education Technical Assistance Center (HETAC) has a web page devoted to Disaster Preparation and Response at https://www.hetac.org/resources/disasters.

To protect residents from toxic air quality in areas throughout the region, N95 masks are being made available for free at the following Los Angeles County libraries:

La Cañada Flintridge Library

4545 N Oakwood Ave.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011

La Crescenta Library

2809 Foothill Blvd.
La Crescenta, CA 91214

Live Oak Library

22 W Live Oak Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007

San Fernando Library

217 N Maclay Ave.
San Fernando, CA 91340

San Gabriel Library

500 S Del Mar Ave.
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Temple City Library

5939 Golden West Ave.
Temple City, CA 917804

West Hollywood Library

625 N San Vicente Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069

DPH N95 Mask Request (Please include"LA Fire" or something similar in the notes section so we can expedite your order):  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XRRJPGN

PPE Unite: https://www.ppeunite.org/

Animal Services

Animal Shelters

Childcare Resources

Evacuation Shelters and Services

Food Resources

Healthcare

Homeowners’ Resources

Housing Resources

Insurance and Financial Resources

Landlord and Tenant Resources

Recovery Resources

Supplies and Donations

Transportation Resources

To minimize disruption, students have the right to continue attending their original school (the “school of origin”), if it’s in their best interest. Schools must provide transportation to ensure students can stay at upon the request of a parent or guardian, or in the case of an unaccompanied youth, upon the request of the McKinney-Vento liaison.