Many Texas families have been displaced by the recent wildfires. Students in these households may not have otherwise been eligible to receive free meals, however due to being displaced by the disaster, they are considered homeless. Contracting entities (CEs) must follow normal procedures regarding determination of eligibility of homeless students for these situations. The CE's homeless liaison should provide a list of homeless students to the School Nutrition Department. Those students should then be determined eligible for free meals for the remainder of the current school year and the first 30 operating days of the next school year.

Displaced families temporarily residing with another household are still considered homeless. Households that are hosting displaced families may claim those displaced household members on their application which could increase the eligibility benefits for the hosting household. Please refer to Section 4 of the Administrator's Reference Manual for information regarding eligibility of homeless students.