<p>Thank you for taking the time to read this posting. While estimating my possible financial aid, I ran into an issue regarding my current living situation. I am nineteen years old, and living in a different state than my parents. My parents moved across the countrry a few months ago, and I was not able to go. I am temporarily living with my girlfriends parents, and do not know for how long. According to the site on which I was trying to obtain an estimate, any person who is living with someone because they had nowhere else to go would be classified as homeless. So, am I considered homeless?</p>
<p>No. I would not think so. A lot of kids stay with friends in your situation. Had your parents and you had a rift and that option is now eliminated, you might be homeless, but in terms of financial aid, it isn’t going to matter if you are under 24 years old and don’t meet the list of other independent requirements. Now if your parents were homeless, that might be a different story.</p>
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<p>I think the REASON for you not being able to go is important. As noted…if your parents were homeless as well and you had no where to live…that would be one thing. BUT if you didn’t go because you stayed behind to finish high school, for example, that would not make you homeless.</p>
<p>And you will need to check…but your state of residency for tuition purposes probably is no longer the one in which you are residing because your parents no longer reside there. In most places, the domicile (residence) of the parents is considered the state of residency for a college student. AND since your parents haven’t lived in the new state long enough, it is possible that you don’t yet have residency THERE either.</p>
<p>OP, some states, like NY, give in-state tuition to any grads of NY HS, if they attended for a specified period. I think CA does this to. This was meant to protect undocumented people, but there is no reason it should not apply to you, so check your state.</p>
<p>From your description of the situation, it does not appear that you fit the definition of homelessness for aid purposes. My in laws moved twice on their kids … leaving the oldest behind when she was 18 and the youngest when he was 20. Neither could go with them. Neither situation fit the intent of the “homeless” description.</p>
<p>That said, there may be more to YOUR situation than the simple explanation in your post. If there is more, please share (here or by pm’ing me). I may be able to offer more advice if you give a few more details of why your parents left & why you were not able to go.</p>
<p>You are 19 and your parents moved so that makes you homeless? Most 19 year olds are on their own already.</p>