Our Summer Days of Action series seeks to protect Georgia’s youngest children by securing critical investments in child-serving programs in the federal budget. 

Complete the action alert below to protect dedicated funding for children facing homelessness.  

The Executive Branch’s proposed FY 2026 budget eliminates all dedicated funding for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program, which supports public schools in serving students experiencing homelessness. If passed by the budget bill’s October 1 deadline, this change would impact approximately 1.4 million children nationwide, including more than 50,000 homeless children in Georgia, nearly half of whom are under the age of six. 

A House subcommittee will review portions of this budget, including a proposal to eliminate dedicated funding to the EHCY program and “consolidate” it into a broad block grant with no requirement that any portion be allocated to homeless children specifically. In FY 2024–2025, Georgia received $4.5 million through EHCY, for the more than 50,000 Georgia children in need.  

Research from the U.S. Department of Education shows that dedicated investments in homelessness-related education efforts lead to better outcomes for students. Despite this evidence, the proposed budget would jeopardize funding for these essential supports, even as public school districts remain obligated under the McKinney-Vento Act to ensure equitable access to education for homeless students.  

Tell Congress to protect this critical support for all children in Georgia facing homelessness: 

• Research shows this dedicated funding has positive education and life outcomes for children facing homelessness.
• This funding must be dedicated to this specific population of children through the existing EHCY program, rather than “consolidated” into a block grant without requirements that it be used for homeless children. 
   

Interested in doing more? Reach out to GEEARS to learn how you can meet with representatives about EHCY funding.