{"id":16948,"date":"2017-02-27T10:39:59","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T15:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=16948"},"modified":"2019-03-12T14:14:28","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T18:14:28","slug":"schools-take-action-homeless-and-hungry-college-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/schools-take-action-homeless-and-hungry-college-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools Are Taking Action to Help Homeless and Hungry College Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are all aware of student debt, college affordability and job security issues; after all, these are topics that we are very concerned with. Some of us, however, may not be aware that many students are homeless and hungry. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The number of college students in need has been steadily increasing. Homelessness and hunger among college students has risen over the last few years. In 2013, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) reported that 58,000 college students, a 75% increase over three years, identified themselves as homeless. That\u2019s a significant number, but <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.truth-out.org\/news\/item\/36186-students-with-nowhere-to-stay-homelessness-on-college-campuses\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many advocates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> believe that the number is inaccurate because it doesn\u2019t count those who do not self-identify as homeless due to stigma and circumstances. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In December 2015, the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/wihopelab.com\/publications\/Wisconsin_hope_lab_hungry_to_learn.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin HOPE Lab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is focused on finding ways of making college affordable, reported that in a survey of more than 4,000 undergraduates at 10 community colleges across the nation:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50 percent of all community college students are struggling with food and\/or housing insecurity;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fully 20 percent are hungry; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13 percent are homeless.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Why so many college students are homeless<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many college students are homeless for various reasons, but <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.affordablecollegesonline.org\/homeless-students-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">three main reasons<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have been identified by researchers:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parental job loss;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lack of affordable housing; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Family or parental conflicts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Study on food insecurity<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In alliance with several student advocate organizations, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness issued a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/studentsagainsthunger.org\/hunger-on-campus\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report in October 2016<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that highlighted food insecurity on college campuses. The report surveyed 3,765 students in 12 states at 8 community colleges and 26 four-year colleges and universities. In total, 48 percent of the students reported facing food insecurity in the previous 30 days from the date surveyed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report also found that 25 percent of community college and 20 percent of four-year college students qualified as having very low food security. Of the 1,800 students that reported suffering from food insecurity, 64 percent also reported experiencing some type of housing insecurity. <\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Schools and organizations trying to help<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to growing concerns of homelessness and hunger, schools and organizations are searching for ways to combat both issues. Food pantries on campuses and shelters for college students have sprung up all over the country and begun work to help assist those experiencing these unfortunate circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Help with shelter<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In October 2016, the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bruinshelter.org\/resident-application\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruin Shelter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> organization opened a shelter at the Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, CA. Out of the 30 applicants that applied, Bruin Shelter was able to accept a total of nine UCLA and Santa Monica College students. The shelter offers a six-month residency to those accepted. It opens at 8 p.m., and provides students with toiletries, dinner and a bagged breakfast in the morning before it closes at 7 a.m. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Bruin Shelter: A shelter for students, by students\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OKDBq634Ccc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruin Shelter helter works with nonprofit organizations to connect those staying with them to the resources for long-term help exceeding their six-month stay. These resources aim to help students get a good start to independent living. Counseling is also available for those staying at the shelter to ensure the best mental care as well. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruin Shelter, which is not affiliated with any school, is the first shelter for students run by students. In a state that is far too familiar with homelessness, California could use more resources like the shelter. A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/presspage-production-content.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/1487\/cohomelessstudy.pdf?10000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report by the California State University<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that one in every 10 students in the California State university system is homeless. In response to the report, California State University campuses are developing programs that will support the needs of displaced and food insecure students. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The need of safe spaces for homeless students is a problem that colleges are working to eradicate. Some college campuses offer housing opportunities to their homeless students. One of those schools is Kennesaw State University in Georgia. As part of their Campus Awareness, Resource &amp; Empowerment (CARE) Center program, and thanks to aid from an annual grant courtesy of the Kennesaw-based Beacon Foundation Charitable Trust, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/studentsuccess.kennesaw.edu\/care\/homelessness.php\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kennesaw State<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offers temporary housing to any homeless student in need. A campus apartment will be available for 14 days while the CARE center works to locate and secure long-term housing. If housing is not found within that time period, students might be able to exceed their stay or, depending on funding available, the CARE center could make arrangements to provide students with a local hotel room. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More and more schools are noticing that action is needed, despite struggling to find the best ways to serve students in need. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/programs\/triostudsupp\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Student Support Services program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> awards grants to institutions that provides, among other things, academic tutoring, counseling services and \u201csecuring temporary housing during breaks for students who are homeless youths and students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Help with food<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although housing is vital, hunger amongst students is also a huge problem. Schools are finding innovative ways to help feed their students. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/oregonstate.edu\/ua\/ncs\/archives\/2016\/jan\/osu-participation-snap-help-improve-student-food-access\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oregon State University<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/hsuohsnap.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humboldt State University<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in California, are two schools that now allow students to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at school. They accept EBT cards as a form of payment to purchase food on campus. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One popular solution throughout the country is the installation of food pantries on college campuses. According to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cufba.org\/cufba-hits-400-members\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">College and University Food Bank Alliance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (CUFBA), there are already 460 college food pantries in the U.S., including a recently opened one at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/impact.cabrini.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">West Chester University<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Pennsylvania. \u00a0Rowan University in New Jersey, is <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.philly.com\/philly\/education\/college-university-food-pantries-NJ-and-PA-food-insecurity-on-campus.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">planning to open one<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this coming month. Many of these pantries run on donations and have pickup and drop-off locations on campus. Some of these pantries also offer toiletries and clothes in addition to food. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These food pantries are part of the growing CUFBA network. CUFBA trains, gives resources and supports colleges that open food banks in an effort to create a model that will make these college food banks work their best for the students in need. \u00a0TUN spoke to Brandon Mathews, Associate Director of CUFBA, about CUFBA\u2019s role. \u201cMost people that come to us are already starting a food pantry, we typically help with technical assistance, answering any questions they have about setting up,\u201d Mathews explained. \u201cWe want to make sure it is sustainable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mathews also stressed the importance of school food pantries to students in need. \u00a0\u201cA lot of students don\u2019t have the transportation to go to [a food pantry] in their community,\u201d said Mathews. \u201cThey might not be able to go because of their school schedule, they might not have time to go during the time their local food pantry is open, or they might not be aware of these services in the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CUFBA will be delivering their research report on Hunger on Campus at the 2017 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Conference during which they will recommend best practices to assist students in need that expand beyond food pantries.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>More needs to be done<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is admirable that so many schools and organizations are doing so much to help college students in need of shelter and\/or food. \u00a0It is especially touching to know that in many cases it\u2019s students helping students. \u00a0Their resources are limited though, so local, state and federal government should do more to ensure that students in need get the necessary resources for them to stay in school and graduate so they can be secure in the future. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Related:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/san-diego-mesa-college-provides-food-clothing-to-students-in-need\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Diego Mesa College Provides Food &amp; Clothing to Students in Need<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are all aware of student debt, college affordability and job security issues; after all, these are topics that we are very concerned with. Some of us, however, may not be aware that many students are homeless and hungry. \u00a0\u00a0 The number of college students in need has been steadily increasing. Homelessness and hunger among [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":17097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,646,230,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-making-a-difference","category-news","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry.jpg",830,553,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry-216x144.jpg",216,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry.jpg",830,553,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry.jpg",830,553,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry.jpg",830,553,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry.jpg",830,553,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Adilene Rodriguez","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/adilene-rodriguez\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"We are all aware of student debt, college affordability and job security issues; after all, these are topics that we are very concerned with. Some of us, however, may not be aware that many students are homeless and hungry. \u00a0\u00a0 The number of college students in need has been steadily increasing. Homelessness and hunger among&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/homeless-and-hungry.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}