The	documentation	for	an	FAA9s	evaluation	of	the	living	arrangements	of	a	student	must	demonstrate	that	they	meet	the
definition	of	this	category	of	independent	student.	The	determination	may	be	based	upon	a	written	statement	from,	or	a
documented	interview	with,	the	student	that	confirms	that	they	are	an	unaccompanied	homeless	youth,	or
unaccompanied,	at	risk	of	homelessness,	and	self-supporting.	Such	determination	should	be	made	without	regard	to	the
reasons	that	the	student	is	unaccompanied	and/or	homeless.
Remember	the	following	when	you	are	making	a	homeless	youth	determination:
Ask	for	help	with	determining	eligibility	from	local	school	district	homeless	liaisons,	state	homeless	education
coordinators,	the	National	Center	for	Homeless	Education	(https://nche.ed.gov/higher-education/),	or	the	National
Association	for	the	Education	of	Homeless	Children	and	Youth	(https://naehcy.org/higher-education/).	Search	for
<Making	Student	Status	Determinations	for	Unaccompanied	Homeless	Youth=	to	find	worksheets	and	tools	to	help
make	your	determination.
Relevant	information	can	come	from	recognized	third	parties	such	as	private	or	publicly	funded	homeless	shelters
and	service	providers,	financial	aid	administrators	from	another	college,	college	access	programs	such	as	TRIO	and
GEAR	UP,	college	or	high	school	counselors,	other	mental	health	professionals,	social	workers,	mentors,	doctors,	and
clergy.
Use	discretion	when	gathering	information	and	respect	the	student9s	privacy.	Some	information,	such	as	that
protected	by	doctor-patient	privilege,	is	confidential.	Also,	documents	such	as	police	or	Child	Protective	Services
reports	are	not	necessary.	Don9t	focus	on	why	the	student	is	homeless	or	unaccompanied	but	on	whether
the	evidence	shows	they	are	an	unaccompanied	homeless	youth.
Determine	eligibility	based	on	the	legal	definitions	provided	(see	<Homeless	youth	definitions=	below).
Unaccompanied	homeless	youth	may	use	the	address	of	your	school	as	their	own	on	the	FAFSA	form.
For	students	you	determine	to	be	unaccompanied	homeless	youths	or	unaccompanied,	self-supporting	youths	at	risk	of
being	homeless,	update	the	answer	to	the	<Student	Homelessness=	question	on	the	FAFSA	form	to	<yes=	and	select
<Financial	aid	administrator=	as	the	determiner	in	the	FAFSA	Partner	Portal	or	EDE.	You	may	also	instruct	the	student	to
make	this	correction	on	their	own	form.
Finally,	you	should	also	presume	that	a	student	for	whom	your	institution	has	made	a	determination	of	homelessness
continues	to	be	independent	in	each	subsequent	year	at	your	institution	unless	the	student	tells	you	their	circumstances
Homeless	Youth	Determination	Example
AVG,	Chapter	5,	Example	6:	A	student	came	out	to	their	parents	as	transgender	when	they	were	14.	The
student9s	relationship	with	their	parents	deteriorated	and	they	told	the	student	to	move	out.	The	student	reached
out	to	their	high	school	counselor	for	help,	who	asked	if	the	student	had	some	place	to	go.	The	parents	of	the
student's	good	friend	said	that	the	student	could	stay	with	them.	Though	the	friend9s	family	is	providing	the
student	with	a	place	to	stay,	this	is	not	considered	fixed,	regular,	and	adequate	nighttime	residence	as	the
friend9s	family	may	revoke	their	offer	for	shelter	at	any	time.	The	student	would	be	considered	an	unaccompanied
youth	who	is	self-supporting	and	at	risk	of	homelessness.
The	student's	relationship	with	their	parents	did	not	improve,	and	over	the	next	several	years	the	student	had
almost	no	contact	with	them.	When	the	student	completed	their	FAFSA	for	the	first	time,	they	were	unable	to
provide	parental	information	but	indicated	on	the	form	that	they	have	an	unusual	circumstance.	Their	FAFSA	was
processed	with	the	student	as	provisionally	independent.	The	FAA	at	the	student9s	school	spoke	to	the	student
and	requested	an	explanation	of	their	circumstance.	The	student	told	the	FAA	about	their	situation,	and	the	FAA
asked	them	to	provide	documentation.	The	student	was	unable	to	obtain	documentation	of	their	homeless	youth
determination	from	their	high	school	counselor.	The	FAA	conducted	and	documented	an	interview	with	the
student	to	confirm	that	they	are	still	experiencing	homelessness	and	are	self-supporting.	The	FAA	helped	the
student	correct	their	FAFSA	to	indicate	that	they	are	a	homeless	youth	with	a	determination	by	a	Financial	Aid
Administrator.	A	dependency	override	is	unnecessary	because	the	student	is	considered	an	independent	student
on	their	FAFSA	form	due	to	homelessness.
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