ADDRESSING HOUSING INSECURITY

AND LIVING COSTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

A GUIDEBOOK FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Office of Policy Development and Research

ADDRESSING HOUSING INSECURITY

AND LIVING COSTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

A GUIDEBOOK FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

September 2016

Authors

Chase Sackett, Presidential Management Fellow, HUD Office of Policy Development and

Research

Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Higher Education Policy and Sociology, Temple University,

and Founder, Wisconsin HOPE Lab

Katharine Broton, PhD Candidate in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Graduate

Research Assistant, Wisconsin HOPE Lab

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for assistance from many experts and leaders in supporting students,

including Erin Berg, Julie Brewer, Cassie Lynn Brooks, Clare Cady, Will Carroll, Priyadarshini

Chaplot, Andrea Cobb, Elizabeth Coogan, Claudia Curry, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Christina

Dukes, Lindsey Evans, Marcie Foster, Rachel Gragg, Shema Hanebutte, Maryann Haytmanek,

Charity Helton Nicole Hindes, Angela Johnson, Cyekeia Lee, Noah Mann, Emily Marano, John

McLaughlin, Michael Mirra, Mark Mitsui, Mary Moorhouse, Kerri Moseley-Hobbs, Cassie

Russell, Kevin Solarte, Andy Stettner, Rachel Sumekh, Katherine Sydor, E.T. Winzer, Jennifer

Worth, and Kinnard Wright.

Disclaimer

The contents of this report are the views of the contractor and do not necessarily reflect the views

or policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the U.S. government.

With college enrollment rates high, despite stagnant or declining family incomes and increasing college costs, today many college students are struggling to make ends meet. Improving the

quality of students’ lives is essential to boosting their odds of success in school. Drawing on

examples from institutions nationwide, this guidebook describes strategies that colleges and

universities can implement in order to support students facing housing insecurity and challenges

covering other living costs, such as food and childcare.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Policy

Development and Research (PD&R) and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab have co-authored this

guidebook to assist institutions of higher education as they consider, evaluate, implement, and

scale up programs and policies to support students’ learning, persistence, and completion. HUD

has recently explored and promoted a range of strategies to support students, including those

enrolled in higher education. The Wisconsin HOPE Lab, the nation’s first translational

laboratory aimed at identifying new and effective ways to minimize barriers to college

completion so that more students can reach their full potential, has published essential research

exploring these challenges and identifying ways to support students.

The “New Normal” Undergraduate

Few college students today reside on campus, enjoying quick access to classes and all-you-can-eat

meal plans. Instead, nearly 9 in 10 of today’s undergraduates live off campus—either with parents,

children, or roommates or on their own. 1 They compete for housing in the private market, which has become increasingly unaffordable for low-income households over the past 15 years. 2 While securing adequate housing is difficult for millions of Americans, undergraduates are a particularly

vulnerable population because they often lack a rental history, someone to act as guarantor, or the

savings for a security deposit. 3 Over one-half of students living off campus apart from family have incomes below the poverty level. 4

Most students are also juggling multiple family and work responsibilities. These students are no

longer “nontraditional” but are instead the “new normal.” About 7 in 10 community college

students work while in college, and one-third work full time. 5 One in four undergraduates are parents, and more than 15 percent of undergraduates are single parents. 6 A recent survey in Wisconsin demonstrates that a substantial number of students—and most students from

disadvantaged backgrounds—also support their families through significant contributions of time

and money while attending school. 7

Lacking the Basics

New evidence from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab illuminates the challenges that today’s college

students face in securing adequate housing and sufficient nutrition. According to a recent study

of more than 4,000 undergraduates at 10 community colleges, approximately one-half of students

struggle with food and/or housing insecurity. Specifically, 20 percent of respondents reported

going hungry in the past month and 13 percent were homeless in the past year. 8

These experiences of material hardship are not limited to the 2-year college sector. Additional

research by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab indicates that 4-year college students from low- and

moderate-income families also struggle to make ends meet. Nearly one in three 4-year students

at seven campuses of the University of Wisconsin indicated that they had gone hungry due to a

lack of resources in the past year and 11 percent had experienced some form of housing

insecurity. 9

1

Some groups of students are disproportionately affected by material hardship. For example, those who are food insecure are more likely to also be housing insecure and vice versa. Students of

color, first-generation college students, and students from low-income families are also at an

increased risk of food and housing insecurity. Moreover, students reporting food and/or housing

challenges are also more likely to report mental health challenges, including depression and

anxiety. 10

Affecting Academics

These challenges affect students’ quality of life, their capacity to learn, and their ultimate success

in school. Cognitive science demonstrates that the stresses of poverty burden students as they

learn and make decisions. 11 Students who are food insecure, for instance, receive lower grades, on average. 12 How students are forced to deal with financial stresses can affect their success in school. Many students—disproportionately low-income students—cope by enrolling part time or

working long hours at jobs, which can make it more difficult for them to complete their

education. 13

Making Ends Meet

Most students struggling with food and/or housing insecurity are employed and receive financial

aid. 14 Three in five students, however, borrow money to pay their bills, and almost one-fourth seek out free food or meals. 15 Some students go without essential resources such as books, computers, or at-home Internet access. Others drop out. 16 Many do not receive the support for which they are eligible. For example, only 19 percent of housing-insecure students surveyed

receive some sort of public housing assistance, and only 20 percent of food-insecure students

received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known

as food stamps). 17

2

Strategies To Support Students: An Overview

Institutions can draw on an extensive array of strategies to support students who are experiencing

challenges outside of the classroom, and Table 1 provides many examples. As a starting point,

assess what is already known about low-income students at your school and the existing

initiatives to support them. What is available and working, and what needs to be added?

A broader, data-driven, evidence-based decisionmaking process can ensure your institution’s

initiatives effectively address the challenges your students encounter. Key steps to making the

most of your work include identifying the current situation; selecting and adapting strategies

based on identified needs and institutional capacity; and implementing strategies through a

strong, detailed plan that involves continual assessment, reflection, and improvement. Also,

performing a rigorous evaluation of your initiative can enable your institution and others to learn

from and build on successful strategies.

Table 1. Overview of Strategies

Category

Strategy

Page

Why?

How To Implement

Outreach

Establish a

6

Students with financial needs

Assign a SPOC to coordinate

and

campus

may struggle to navigate

campus assistance, including

identification Single Point

available resources, especially

applying for federal student aid

of Contact

applying for financial aid.

by completing the Free

(SPOC)

Application for Federal Student

Aid (FAFSA), referring students

to campus offices, and building

partnerships with community

organizations. It is ideal if the

SPOC has connections to local

benefits programs, support

organizations, and other

resources.

Engage in

8

Students might not be aware

Use a variety of venues (new

proactive,

of support programs and might student orientation, student

systemic

be concerned with the stigma

portal, classroom presentations,

outreach

of receiving help. Treating

individualized alerts) and in

support and benefits programs

ways that are sensitive to

as normal can encourage

student concerns of stigma.

students to take advantage.

Institutional

Help

10

Federal rules limit when

Ensure financial aid is delivered

policies and

students

students may receive their

in a timely manner, and where

structure

manage

financial aid. Students often

possible adjust payment

housing

receive financial aid too late to

deadlines until after students

costs by

pay housing costs such as

have received financial aid.

changing the

security deposits, whether on

Strategies include providing

timing of aid

or off campus.

students with assistance earlier

delivery

to help them pay security

deposits, proactively reaching

out to identified high-need

students to help, reducing

required housing fees for high-

need students, and allowing

high-need students to pay

housing costs once aid is

disbursed.

3

Category

Strategy

Page

Why?

How To Implement

Prioritize

11

Students often struggle to fill

Prioritize on-campus housing

higher-need

gaps in need, such as finding

and work-study slots for

students for

housing during academic

identified high-need students

resources,

breaks.

(for example, Pell-eligible

including

students, unaccompanied

housing and

homeless youth), and provide or

work-study,

help arrange housing for

and fill

students with need during

housing

breaks.

gaps during

breaks and

emergencies

Benefits and Partner with

13

Institutions of higher education

Partnerships support an array of

support

local

can leverage community

other strategies, such as

programs

agencies

partnerships to support

coordinating with local

and

students with an array of

Continuums of Care,

organization

needs.

partnerships with local housing

s

agencies to serve students, or

arranging Federal Work Study

opportunity and other job

opportunities.

Bundle

15

Bundling support can help

Institutions can bundle

academic

achieve better outcomes than

academic support, such as

support with

piecemeal assistance.

advising, with financial

other

assistance (for instance, tuition

assistance

waivers for high-need students),

in-kind assistance, and

organizational support and

advising.

Connect

20

A substantial proportion of

Help students access benefits

students with

students do not receive the

programs, such as food and

benefits

benefits for which they are

childcare assistance, through a

eligible. Programs are

single hub with dedicated staff.

complex, can be difficult to

You may consider an opt-out

navigate, and students may

model for students who likely

not know they are eligible.

qualify.

Provide

24

Students can encounter short-

Institutions can offer small

emergency

term challenges that threaten

grants to students. It is helpful

aid/

to derail their education.

to establish and communicate

microgrants

Relatively small amounts of

clear criteria for program

assistance can help students

eligibility, while providing for

stay in school.

flexibility in unusual

circumstances. Ideally,

emergency aid programs

supplement a campus benefits

access program.

4

Category

Strategy

Page

Why?

How To Implement

Address

26

A significant proportion of

Campus food pantries directly

food

students experience food

provide food to students or staff.

insecurity

insecurity, affecting their

Local partnerships, especially

with a

quality of life and success in

with regional food banks, are

campus food

school.

critical. Dedicated staff should

pantry,

complement volunteers. Most

mobile food

institutions operate their pantry

distribution,

on the honor system and have

or meal point

not experienced issues.

sharing

Enable

27

Students often struggle to

Campus stores can apply to be

students to

afford and find nutritious food,

eligible for SNAP purchases.

use SNAP

and those who participate in

on campus

the Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program (SNAP)

are often unable to use their

SNAP benefits to purchase

food on campus, because

campus dining halls or

markets are not SNAP eligible.

Provide

28

Students are

Institutions can help students

assistance

disproportionately vulnerable

address housing issues by

with housing

to housing issues, such as

providing free legal help,

issues and

eviction.

referrals to community

offer

organizations, short-term

emergency

emergency aid, and emergency

housing

housing on or off campus.

Support

29

About one-fourth of all college

First, identify and connect with

student

students are raising children

student parents on your

parents,

while attending school, and

campus. Provide campus

including

student parents are

childcare directly or offer

campus

disproportionately likely to

individualized referrals.

childcare

have economic need. Finding,

Institutions can also support

arranging, and paying for

student parents by reaching out

quality childcare can be very

and helping them transition to

difficult and affect parents’

school, providing mentoring and

success in school.

peer support, and offering

parent-specific academic

support such as flexible class

scheduling.

Support

31

A high proportion of students

Colleges can provide direct

students’

are financially vulnerable

financial services or referrals, or

financial

because they lack financial

they can partner with local

capability

literacy, have no emergency

organizations. Institutions can

savings, or are financially

also provide Individual

fragile.

Development Accounts to help

students save for educational

expenses.

5

Strategy: Outreach and Identification

Establish a Campus Single Point of Contact

Issue

Students, especially those dealing with challenges like housing insecurity, may have trouble

navigating on-campus resources and taking advantage of available support.

Implementation

Campus Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) can lead your campus’s efforts to identify and

connect with students who qualify for assistance. In particular, campus SPOCs can help

unaccompanied homeless youth successfully navigate the college-going process. Depending on

your institution’s structure, SPOCs can also serve as the central contact for other students who

experience issues with housing insecurity or living costs. A staff member with expertise in case

management might best fill the responsibilities of SPOCs.

SPOCs can serve several roles:18

• Helping students apply for federal student aid by completing the FAFSA. Students

leave substantial amounts of aid on the table by not completing the Free Application for

Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In the 2011–12 academic year, 30 percent of students

failed to file a FAFSA, of whom one-third would likely have been eligible for a Pell

Grant. 19 SPOCs can help students to complete the FAFSA by, for example, ensuring that students who qualify for “independent” status on the FAFSA can easily do so; students’

dependency status can significantly affect their financial aid award. Qualifying as

independent also means students do not need their parents’ financial information and

signature to apply for aid. Students who are independent are required to report only their

own financial information (as well as their spouse’s, if they are married); students who

are dependent must provide both their and their parents’ financial information and

signatures. In particular, SPOCs can help unaccompanied homeless youth obtain a

determination of independent student status, enabling them to apply without their parents’

information and signatures and potentially qualify for more financial aid.

• Building and maintaining partnerships. SPOCs can connect with the professionals

who can determine that a student qualifies as an “unaccompanied homeless youth,”

including school district or high school McKinney-Vento liaisons (see guidance on this

issue linked below), Runaway and Homeless Youth Act-funded shelter directors or their

designees, and college financial aid administrators. SPOCs can also foster partnerships

with other community organizations, as discussed elsewhere in this guidebook.

• Implementing a streamlined process to refer students to campus offices. SPOCs can

help students easily connect with offices including admissions, financial aid, academic

advising, and student life and with campus and community-based assistance (for

example, food banks, benefits access assistance).

• Advertising campus resources among students and others. SPOCs can help lead

campus outreach to students who may qualify for support.

• Coalition building and coordination on campus. SPOCs can also help foster awareness

among campus faculty and staff about student needs, including common signs of

6

homelessness, to help them better support students. Active, informed support from your

institution’s leadership is important—top-level administrators may not be familiar with

the proportion of students in need and how those needs affect students’ ability to succeed.

Administrators can also help explain to stakeholders how supporting students’ need

outside of the classroom relates to your institutions’ mission. Institutional assessment

staff should be included from the start to measure and track progress. Grants, foundation,

and alumni offices can help identify grants, donations, and opportunities to foster

community awareness. Overall, the SPOC should also engage in coalition building on

and off campus to develop programs and solutions to the problems students are facing.

Examples

Beginning in 2009, every public 2- and 4-year college and every private 4-year college in

Colorado has appointed a staff member to serve as a SPOC to support students experiencing

homelessness. 20 Institutions in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and North Carolina have created or are creating campus

SPOC positions with assistance from the National Association for the Education of Homeless

Children and Youth (NAEHCY). 21

For More Information

• NAEHCY’s tip sheet for higher education McKinney-Vento SPOCs:

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/spoc-tips.docx.

• NAEHCY’s 1-page guidance on who can make a determination regarding

unaccompanied homeless youth status for the FAFSA:

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/images/dl/fafsa-who-deter.pdf.

• The National Center for Homeless Education’s (NCHE’s) tool to help financial aid

administrators determine whether a student seeking independent student status is an

unaccompanied homeless youth: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/faa_det_tool.pdf.

• NCHE’s guidance on relevant rules related to unaccompanied homeless youth, including

the McKinney-Vento Act and the 2007 College Cost Reduction and Access Act’s

provisions aimed to bring down barriers to financial aid for unaccompanied homeless

youth: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/higher_ed.pdf.

• NAEHCY’s list of state networks supporting SPOCs: http://www.naehcy.org/legislation-

and-policy/state-he-networks.

• NAEHCY’s toolkit to support college students experiencing homelessness includes a 1-

page summary of common signs of homelessness, at page 56:

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf.

7

Engage in Proactive, Systemic Outreach

Issue

Not all students might be aware of your institution’s support programs. They also might be

concerned with the stigma of receiving help; college students often hide their hunger or

homelessness. Proactive, systemic outreach is therefore critical.

Implementation

Try these methods in order to reach students:

• Use a variety of venues. Those may include your institution’s student portal, bulletin

boards, the student newspaper, and student groups. Also be aware that online students

may also face challenges, so be sure to include methods (such as e-mails) that will reach

them as well. Text messaging appears to be an effective way to “nudge” students to seek

help. 22

• Presentations at orientation. Providing information on support programs at orientations

can demonstrate that taking advantage of support is normal and ensure that most students

know assistance is available.

• Presentations in classrooms and to faculty. Single Stop is a national antipoverty

nonprofit organization that operates on many community college campuses. In an

evaluation, its site coordinators reported that presentations in classrooms were a

particularly effective way to reach students. 23 Awareness sessions specifically for faculty can also help them understand students’ needs and connect students with support.

• Specifically alert students who might qualify for help. Let them know about public

benefits or institutional support programs, such as TRIO, eight federal outreach and

student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from

disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, consider focusing on Pell-eligible students and

contacting them with additional outreach for services that might benefit them. Your

institution should alert students as early as possible, such as during enrollment or

registration. Your institution should also be careful to protect students’ privacy when

contacting students (see Department of Education resources on the Family Educational

Rights and Privacy Act for school officials).

• Be sensitive to student concerns. Marketing should avoid stigmatizing language. For

instance, you might refer to “grocery help,” rather than “food stamps.” 24 You may want to avoid using the term “homeless” in materials and instead use wording like, “in a

temporary living arrangement” or “couch-surfing.” 25

Examples

During enrollment/registration, Cuyahoga Community College, headquartered in Cleveland,

Ohio, alerts certain students—those who are independent, have expected financial contributions

of $0 to $3,000, and indicate that they do not receive public benefits—that they might qualify for

benefits and should reach out for further assistance. 26 The Community College of Philadelphia uses a variety of methods to recruit students to its Homeless Student Support Program, including

their student portal, brochures, bulletin boards, word of mouth, and the college newspaper.

Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, asks applicants whether they

8

would like information about public benefits, posts student-designed comprehensive flyers on its targeted financial assistance program, educates faculty and staff about the needs of low-income

students and how applying for benefits can help students, and is planning to add benefits access

participation to its required student orientation. Northampton found that faculty awareness

sessions were critical to their support programs’ success—although not all students may visit

support offices (such as counseling, financial aid, or advising offices), every student interacts

with at least one faculty member.

For More Information

• NCHE, in collaboration with the National Association of Student Financial Aid

Administrators, has developed a template poster to alert students to reach out to points of

contact if they may qualify for independent student status on the FAFSA. You can add

your institution’s contact info directly to the poster’s PDF, which is available in both

English and Spanish at http://center.serve.org/nche/pr/he_poster.php.

• NAEHCY’s toolkit, College Access and Success for Students Experiencing

Homelessness, provides context for challenges facing homeless students and how to reach

them: http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf.

9

Strategy: Institutional Policies and Structure

Help Students Manage Housing Costs by Changing the Timing of Aid Delivery

Issue

The timing of financial aid can affect students’ ability to secure stable housing. Federal rules

limit when institutions can disburse aid to students. The earliest that institutions can disburse

federal Title IV aid is 10 days before the first day of classes for an academic term. 27 For a first-year, first-time borrower, institutions cannot disburse Direct Loans until 30 days after the first

day of classes. 28 Students who live off campus, however, usually must pay security deposits earlier. Students living on campus also might need to pay security deposits before receiving aid,

depending on your institution’s policies. For students with limited resources, these deposits can

constitute a substantial barrier. 29

Implementation

Institutions can take several steps to help students manage housing costs, including these

strategies:

• Provide students in need with assistance earlier to help them pay security deposits. If a

student receives institutional aid, your institution could disburse its own assistance

earlier if a student requests. Institutions can also disburse school funds labeled as federal

student aid in advance of receiving the actual Federal Student Aid (FSA) funds. 30

• If you have identified particular groups of students who are likely to face challenges with

living costs (for example, unaccompanied homeless youth, students with no or low

expected financial contributions), proactively reach out to offer assistance with housing

costs.

• Reduce the cost of, or eliminate, security deposits and housing application fees for

qualifying entering students.

• Offer short-term loans (or advances on financial aid) for students who need cash prior to

the timing of aid disbursement.

• Allow qualifying students to pay other housing-related costs once financial aid is

disbursed.

Examples

Florida State University reduces the housing deposit ($50) for entering higher-need students and

also allows these students to pay other housing-related costs once their financial aid is

disbursed. 31 Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, helps students manage housing expenses, such as on-campus housing deposits, apartment application fees, and a first month’s

rent. 32 In Colorado, institutions have moved back the deadline for housing deposits, allowing students to pay when they receive their financial aid. 33

For More Information

• Supporting College Completion for Students Experiencing Homelessness, a brief by the

National Center for Homeless Education that describes the Florida State and Kennesaw

State programs: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/he-success.pdf.

10

Prioritize Higher-Need Students for Resources, Including Housing and Work-Study, and

Fill Housing Gaps During Breaks and Emergencies

Issue

Students often struggle to fill gaps in need, such as housing during academic breaks. Former

foster youth, for instance, may have nowhere to go if they live on campus and their college

closes for winter break. At the same time, institutions may not prioritize their available resources

for higher-need students. Some evidence suggests that students who would work regardless and

receive Federal Work Study work fewer hours and are more likely to graduate, with lower-

income students and those who scored lower on the SAT experiencing the best effects. By

comparison, students who would not have otherwise worked might experience worse outcomes

after receiving work-study. 34

Implementation

Institutions can prioritize higher-need students for their available resources and take steps to fill

these gaps:

• Prioritize on-campus housing slots for higher-need students (for instance, Pell-eligible

students, single parents, unaccompanied homeless youth), including in lower-cost,

mixed-income housing. Lower-cost on-campus housing, in particular, could be reserved

for financial aid recipients.

• Connect students who need housing over breaks with on-campus housing or other

available housing at little or no cost. Institutions often already allow other groups of

students—such as international students who may not be able to travel home or student

athletes staying for athletic purposes— to stay in on-campus housing for free over breaks.

Your institution can also allow qualifying students to stay in their on-campus housing for

a short time after graduating, allowing time to find jobs and new housing. These

strategies could complement broader programs to support former foster youth.

• Prioritize higher-need students (for example, Pell-eligible or low-income students) for

work-study slots and place them in jobs relevant to their field of study. 35

• Use work-study slots to hire students to support other students in need. Students gaining

experience in their area of study and other students getting needed support is a win-win

situation. For example, you can use work-study funds to hire developmental psychology

students to provide childcare to student parents or hire business students to help with

financial literacy.

• Strategically deploy university housing jobs, which often come with free summer

housing, to students.

Examples

Several universities, such as Western Michigan University, prioritize on-campus housing for

former foster youth; this policy complements Western Michigan’s broader Seita Scholars

Program, which helps former foster youth transition to and succeed in college. 36 Chapman University in Orange, California, and Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, allow former

foster youth to continue living in their residence halls for up to 2 months after graduation. 37 As of 2009, California requires that state colleges and universities prioritize foster youth for

11

university-owned housing, including over vacation periods; 38 as of 2015, identified current and former homeless youth are also prioritized. 39 California State University San Marcos, for instance, provides former foster youth with reserved slots for on-campus, full-year apartment-style housing and waives related fees. 40

Prospective Federal Funding Sources

TRIO Student Support Services funding can support temporary student housing over breaks for

students who are homeless youths, in foster care, or aging out of the foster care system. 41

For More Information

• Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students From Foster

Care (2010), from Casey Family Programs, provides an overview of strategies and

existing programs that support former foster youth in higher education, including year-

round housing: http://www.casey.org/media/SupportingSuccess.pdf.

• Fostering Success Michigan’s National Postsecondary Support Map, provides links and

information on statewide and 4-year postsecondary support programs for former foster

youth: http://fosteringsuccessmichigan.com/campus-support.

• Strengthening the “Work” in Federal Work-Study: Improving Access to Financial Aid

and Career-Related Work Experience for Low-Income and Post-Traditional Students, by

Elizabeth Kenefick at the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success:

http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-

1/CPES_FederalWorkstudyFINAL.pdf.

12

Strategy: Benefits and Support Programs

Partner With Local Agencies and Organizations

Issue

Students may face an array of needs, and your institution may not have the resources to meet all

of them.

Implementation

Partnering with local agencies and organizations can enable your institution to leverage its

resources, supporting many of the other strategies described in this guidebook. Potential

partnerships include, for instance, the following:

• Work with local food banks to create a campus food pantry. Partnerships are an

important way to help students facing hunger. For more guidance on creating a campus

food pantry and related strategies, see the section “Address Food Insecurity With a

Campus Food Pantry, Mobile Food Distribution, or Meal Point Sharing.”

• Coordinate with local Continuums of Care. Continuums of Care are local or regional

systems that support people who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. Your

institution could connect students with the coordinated entry process for your local

Continuum of Care; your local Continuum of Care might also have a discrete coordinated

entry point for homeless youth. Coordinated entry refers to the processes by which

Continuums of Care ensure that all people experiencing a housing crisis have fair and

equal access and are quickly identified, assessed for, referred, and connected to housing

and assistance based on their strengths and needs.

• Connect with transportation benefits. Many public transit systems provide discounts

for students or low-income people. Your institution can build these relationships and help

students connect with the transportation options that are already available.

• Partner with local housing agencies to serve students. Local housing agencies have

partnered with community colleges to dedicate housing vouchers for students who are

homeless or at risk of homelessness, to cover unmet need for assisted residents attending

college, and to serve single student parents and their children. Your institution can also

reach out to housing authorities to discuss their housing assistance waitlist priorities (note

that housing assistance almost always has a significant waitlist). Local public housing

authorities’ definitions of eligible “families” sometimes exclude or deprioritize full-time

students, in favor of working families; 42 adding students as a prioritized category could similarly prioritize families pursuing self-sufficiency. These partnerships could also take

place through housing agencies’ existing self-sufficiency programs, such as HUD’s

Family Self-Sufficiency program. 43

• Arrange Federal Work Study opportunities and other job opportunities. Your

institution could work with local organizations and businesses to place students in

academically relevant Federal Work Study jobs.

• Support students’ financial capability. For more guidance related to financial

capability, see the section “Support Students’ Financial Capability.”

• Arrange childcare with local organizations. Include individualized referrals based on

student parents’ needs.

13

Examples

Institutions with limited or no on-campus housing can build relationships with local organizations

and landlords to help students find affordable housing. The Borough of Manhattan Community

College has addressed the lack of affordable student housing options in New York City by

networking and building relationships with housing providers, including working with landlords

and brokers to secure housing for low-income students. The University of Massachusetts Boston

does not provide on-campus housing to any students. Instead, the university’s U-ACCESS program

refers students in need to local housing providers, including shelters or local charitable

organizations, and works with students to find other potential safe housing arrangements, such as

staying with a family member. 44

In Tacoma, Washington, the housing authority and local community college have partnered to

assist full-time students who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Students receive housing

choice vouchers to use at qualifying units of their choice, as well as support workshops and

comprehensive academic and career counseling. Students must maintain a grade point average of

at least 2.0, enroll in at least 12 academic credits and make adequate progress toward a degree,

and meet relevant HUD rules. The vouchers last up to 3 years or until the student graduates. 45

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) have partnered to

enable CHA public housing residents and housing choice voucher participants to pursue CCC

certificate and associate degree programs at low or no cost. 46 CHA provides vouchers to cover residents’ unmet need for tuition and textbooks; because many residents receive federal and

institutional aid, the per-student cost to CHA can be relatively low. There are two or three weekly

information sessions year round at different CCC campuses, and CHA’s program managers serve

as SPOCs from the initial outreach through residents’ enrollment. The program serves diverse

groups of residents, including traditional students who may encounter barriers transitioning to

college, traditional students enrolled at 4-year institutions who enroll at CCC while at home over

the summer, and nontraditional students returning to school. The partnership began in 2005, and in

2015 over 540 residents enrolled in CCC through the program, with 68 percent of residents taking

courses toward an associate or bachelor degree. From 2012 to 2014, 79 percent of CHA’s CCC

completers have worked after graduation. CHA’s partnership with CCC complements CHA’s

scholarship program for current residents attending other institutions—for the 2016–17 academic

year, CHA plans to award more than 220 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,500. 47

The Family Scholar House in Louisville, Kentucky, takes a two-generation approach by serving

single student parents and their children. Participants enroll in the college of their choice and

receive wraparound support services, including assistance accessing public benefits and financial

aid as well as advising and case management support on a variety of topics. Most families served

by Family Scholar House are in the nonresidential program, but those in need of stable housing

can apply for the residential program, supported by federal housing assistance. 48

For More Information

• Find your local Continuum of Care through HUD’s portal:

https://www.hudexchange.info/grantees/?granteesaction=main.searchresults&programid=3.

• Consult HUD’s 2015 guidance to help intake workers determine the homeless status of

youth for the purposes of Continuum of Care or Emergency Solutions Grant assistance:

14

https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Determining-Homeless-Status-of-

Youth.pdf.

• See NCHE’s guidance on determining students’ eligibility for rights and services under

the McKinney-Vento Act: http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/det_elig.pdf.

• Contact HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs, which has developed a

guide to help local Workforce Boards coordinate with Continuums of Care. Many of

these suggestions are also relevant to institutions of higher education:

https://www.hudexchange.info/onecpd/assets/File/SNAPS-In-Focus-CoC-Collaboration-

with-Workforce-Boards-Under-WIOA.pdf.

Bundle Academic Support With Other Assistance

Issue

Students’ academic success is closely related to their lives outside of school. Evidence suggests

that providing bundled services can achieve better outcomes. 49

Implementation

Integrating academic and living-cost support can achieve better outcomes for students. Colleges

have found success integrating a variety of services, including those described elsewhere in this

guidebook:

• Financial assistance

o Tuition waivers to fill gaps between financial aid and tuition.

o Benefits access.

o Reduced housing deposits and ability to wait for financial aid disbursement to pay

housing costs.

• In-kind assistance

o Food pantries.

o Housing support, including reduced housing deposits, federal housing choice

vouchers, and connections to local resources.

o On-campus childcare.

o Transportation assistance, including transit passes.

o Access to a dedicated academic lab.

o Free use of textbooks.

• Organizational support and advising

o Building groups as cohorts that empower students to support each other.

o Comprehensive academic and career advising from advisors with small caseloads.

o Financial and asset building services, including workshops and advising.

o Direct connections to campus financial aid and mental health resources.

15

• Educational requirements

o Requirements that students who receive comprehensive benefits enroll in a minimum

amount of credits—for instance, that community college students take developmental

courses early and graduate within 3 years.

o Blocked or linked classes in the first year, including seminars on study skills.

Examples

Many institutions have adopted a blended service strategy that combines supports and also often

adopt a case management approach. These programs typically focus on students from particular

high-need groups, such as low-income students, students who have experienced homelessness,

former foster youth, student parents, and students who are experiencing or have experienced

abuse within the home.

Targeted financial aid assistance can play a critical role in complementing these programs. In the

state of Maryland, for example, foster youth50 and unaccompanied homeless youth51 receive waivers of tuition and fees at public, in-state colleges and universities. Also, providing flexible

emergency aid can help students overcome emergencies that threaten their enrollment (see the

section “Provide Emergency Aid/Microgrants”).

Many community colleges have adopted the Working Families Success strategy, which provides

for three key pillars: education and employment services; work and income supports, including

access to public benefits; and financial and asset building services. The strategy emphasizes that

the three pillars should be bundled and that one-on-one attention makes bundling more

successful. 52 A majority of colleges using the Working Families Success strategy have term-to-term retention rates among participants over 80 percent, much higher than their general student

body:53 at Des Moines Community College, 84 percent of students receiving bundled services enrolled in a subsequent term, compared to a collegewide retention rate of 70 percent. 54

Table 2 provides examples of institutions that have bundled academic support with other

services.

For More Information

• Working Families Success Strategy College Implementation Guide (2013):

http://wfsncollegeguide.org/wp-

content/themes/workingfamiliessuccessstrategy/pdfs/MDC_WFS_all.pdf.

• Inside ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs): A Resource Guide on Program

Structure, Components, and Management (2015), from the City University of New York:

http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/asap/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2015/05/Resource-

Guide.pdf.

• Supporting College Completion for Students Experiencing Homelessness (2015), from

the National Center for Homeless Education:

http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/he-success.pdf.

16

Table 2. Examples of Institutions Bundling Academic Supports with Other Assistance

Program

Eligibility

Selected Program Elements

Outcomes

Selected

Funding Sources

City University

Full-time low-income

• Any gap between students’ financial aid and

A rigorous, randomized evaluation

City of New York

in New York—

students;

their need is waived.

found the City University of New

and foundation

Accelerated

encouraged to

• Free MetroCards.

York’s ASAP integrated model nearly

funding (Robin

Study in

graduate with

• Assigned a program advisor with a small

doubled graduation rates among

Hood Foundation,

Associate

associate degree

caseload, meet with a career specialist once a

participating low-income students

Stella and Charles

Programs

within 3 years.

semester, attend academic and career

after 3 years. Even though ASAP’s

Guttman

(ASAP)55

seminars, and attend classes in the first year as

services cost more, the program

Foundation). 57

a group.

graduated more students per dollar

• Borrow textbooks for free.

spent because so many more ASAP

participants graduated. 56

Florida State

Students from

CARE program:

Unconquered Scholars program has

Mostly funded

University—

traditionally

• All-expenses-paid Summer Bridge Program to

had a 91-percent retention rate to

through

Center for

underrepresented

begin college and special CARE orientation.

date, since enrolling its first class in

institutional,

Academic

populations,

• Individual academic advisor and access to

fall 2012; students have a grade point nongrant support.

Retention and

including first-

dedicated academic lab.

average (GPA) of 3.01. 59

Enhancement

generation college

• Dedicated liaison to connect with University

Private donations

(CARE)58

and

Counseling Center.

for scholarships to

socioeconomically

• Alternate on-campus housing arrangements

CARE students

disadvantaged

during breaks.

with unmet

backgrounds (about

• Reduced housing deposit ($50) for entering

financial need.

1,300 per year).

students, and allowed to pay other housing-

Unconquered

related costs once financial aid is disbursed.

Scholars

• Contribute to campus food pantry.

subprogram serves

• Helps students with transportation to grocery

students who have

store.

experienced foster

• Liaison to Office of Financial Aid helps with

care, homelessness,

student aid and other financial issues.

relative care, or

ward of the state

Unconquered Scholars (on top of CARE services):

status.

• Tutoring services.

• College life coaching.

• Academic and skills workshops.

• Access to a network of students, faculty, and

staff who provide support.

Kennesaw

Students

• Private donations assist students with housing

Planning to expand data collection

Draws together

State

experiencing

expenses (for example, on-campus housing

work; since fall 2011 through 2015,

existing campus

17

University—

homelessness or

deposits, apartment application fee, first

163 students have received support

resources along

Campus

food insecurity, or

month’s rent).

from CARE.

with private

Awareness,

students with a

• Contribute to campus food pantry.

monetary and in-

Resource,

history of foster

• Provides one-on-one and group mental health

kind donations.

and

youth involvement.

assistance.

Empowerment

• Helps students pay for housing, meal plans,

Center

gas and grocery cards, apartment application

(CARE)60

fees, and first month’s rent.

Community

Currently enrolled,

• Food stipends to use at institution’s cafeteria.

As of May 2016, 13 participants

Supported by

College of

Pell-eligible students

• Free workshops and seminars.

completed their degree and 6 earned

private

Philadelphia—

who are homeless

• Clothing vouchers for career clothing.

a total of 14 certificates.

philanthropy from

Homeless

or near homeless

• Supermarket gift cards.

the Patricia Kind

Student

and food insecure,

• Resource fair held on campus.

Family

Support

comply with program

Foundation, the

Program

requirements, and

Dolfinger

sign an agreement

McMahon

letter.

Foundation, the

Pincus Family

Foundation, and

the Community

College of

Philadelphia

Foundation.

Tacoma

Full-time students

• Housing choice vouchers.

First year outcomes from Tacoma’s

Housing choice

Housing

who are homeless

• Comprehensive counseling and career

program suggest that an integrated

vouchers from the

Authority and

or at risk of

navigation staff.

program for housing-insecure

Tacoma Housing

Tacoma

homelessness,

• Support workshops on topics including financial students can have a big impact: 95

Authority and

Community

maintain a GPA of at

literacy.

percent of participating community

institutional funds

College—

least 2.0, make

• Cohort model that empowers peer advocacy

college students (21 out of 22)

from Tacoma

Tacoma

adequate progress

and mentorship.

remain enrolled a year later

Community

Community

toward a degree,

compared with 24 percent of eligible

College.

College

and meet relevant

applicants (35 out of 146) who were

Housing

HUD rules; vouchers

not served. 62

Assistance

last up to 3 years.

Program61

18

Connect Students With Benefits

Issue

A substantial proportion of students do not receive the benefits for which they are eligible, such

as SNAP, low-cost health care, housing assistance, childcare assistance, and education tax

credits. At least a few issues contribute:

• Benefits programs have complex rules that are easily misunderstood, and students might

not understand distinctions between various programs. 63

• Students lack the time to navigate benefits systems and balance other responsibilities and

may encounter challenges when they interact with assistance offices directly. 64

• Students are not aware that they are eligible for benefits. 65

Many benefits programs also have specific rules regarding students. For instance, many students

enrolled at least part time are not eligible for SNAP benefits. However, students may be able to

get SNAP benefits, if otherwise eligible, in certain circumstances. These criteria include, but are

not limited to, working at least 20 hours per week; participating in a state- or federally financed

work-study program; caring for a dependent child under the age of 6 years old, or under age 12 if

suitable childcare is unavailable; being a single parent enrolled full-time with a child under age

12; being deemed physically or mentally unfit; or receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy

Families assistance (see here for more information). Colleges or universities interested in increasing access among students should work with their state SNAP agency to identify

opportunities to partner.

Implementation

Several national programs have demonstrated successful strategies to connect students with

benefits through benefits access services. These initiatives can help students address their unmet

need—in 2011–12, the average full-time community college student had more than $6,000 in

need after receiving financial aid. 66 More aid can help students live more stable lives, work less, enroll in more credits, and ultimately find success in school. Evidence suggests than additional

assistance of less than $1,000 a year can help students stay in school. 67

Strategies to enable campus benefits access include:

• Provide benefits access in a single hub. A single hub with dedicated staff can enable

institutions to build institutional knowledge, address multiple needs at the same time, and

build relationships with state and local agencies administering benefits programs. A

single hub is likely more visible for students. 68 Depending on your institution’s structure, the campus SPOC could be located within the same office as your benefits access

program.

• Consider an opt-out model. Such a model incorporates prescreening into existing

services. Colleges’ experiences with the Benefits Access for College Completion

initiative suggests that connecting benefits access to existing academic and nonacademic

services is the most promising strategy—for instance, colocating benefits access services

within your institution’s financial aid center. 69 Institutions might also include benefits prescreening as part of their orientation.

19

• Connect benefits access to broader institutional priorities. For instance, Gateway

Community & Technical College, a Benefits Access for College Completion participant,

tied together benefits access and its accreditation plan. 70

• Partner with your state SNAP agency through its outreach plan. State SNAP

agencies may coordinate their outreach projects with other publicly or privately funded

partners. If a state agency decides to contract with a community partner, the partner

becomes a subgrantee and is eligible for federal reimbursement of up to 50 percent of

allowable expenses.

Examples

Institutions have used several frameworks or models to connect students with benefits, such as

the following listed in Table 3.

The American Association of Community Colleges’ recent 3-year Job Ready, Willing, and Able

Initiative (JRWA) has focused on SNAP enrollment as a core completion strategy. 71 Funded by the Walmart Foundation, JRWA supports 17 community colleges to engage unemployed or

underemployed adults in education, training, and wraparound services aimed at middle-skill

credentials and careers. The participating colleges received financial support to expand the

infrastructure, personnel, and processing for each student that applied for SNAP. Colleges, for

instance, discussed SNAP benefits with groups of students in JRWA-identified classes and

worked with peer financial coaches who could discuss benefits and refer fellow students. Having

seen the value of this infrastructure, many of the institutions have embedded changes that will

persist past the grant to encourage SNAP access and to promote completion. In total, the colleges

recorded 2,853 applications over 19 months through March 2016 and reported 1,500 applicants

approved for benefits.

20

Table 3. Selected College Benefits Access Frameworks and Models

College Benefits

Institutions Participating

Description

Evidence of Effect

Access Program

Single Stop

As of 2016, at 28 community

Single Stop partners with

Households served by Single Stop college

colleges and 4 4-year institutions

institutions to provide students

sites receive, on average, more than $4,000

in 9 states.

with coordinated on-campus

worth of benefits and other assistance.

access to a range of benefits and

Early data suggest that students accessing

support services, including

Single Stop services are more likely to stay

nutrition assistance (such as the

in school. 73

Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program), public

An implementation assessment of Single

health insurance, tax credits,

Stop indicates that it plays a powerful role

financial counseling, and legal

on campuses. In 2013, for instance, one

services.

community college participating in Single

Stop successfully connected almost 1,100

Single Stop trains at least one

students to benefits programs. 74 A

dedicated benefits counselor at

quantitative evaluation of Single Stop is

each institution and provides

forthcoming.

ongoing technical assistance.

Counselors screen, refer, and

provide ongoing case

management to students using

Single Stop’s proprietary

technology. 72

Working Families

At about 115 locations in more

Public benefits access is one of

In 2012, a subset of WFS member

Success (WFS)

than 30 cities. 75

three core pillars for the WFS

organizations helped 2,300 people obtain

Network

strategy (see below for more on

public benefits. 76 WFS members have

WFS’s integrated services

participated in other benefits access

model). WFS participants offer an

programs, too—Skyline Community

array of benefits access services,

College, a Benefits Access for College

ranging from general information

Completion (BACC) participant, is also a

to one-on-one assistance.

member of the WFS Network.

21

College Benefits

Institutions Participating

Description

Evidence of Effect

Access Program

Benefits Access for

Was at 7 community and technical

Through 2014, BACC helped

At one BACC institution, students who

College Completion

colleges nationwide through 2014.

colleges develop and

received public benefits stayed enrolled

institutionalize scalable models to

longer than similar students who did not.

connect low-income students with

Students who received more than one

public benefits. Colleges

benefit enrolled in more terms, accumulated

developed their own plans to

more credits, and were more likely to earn a

integrate screening and

college credential (24 percent) than similar

application assistance with the

students who only received one public

services they already provide,

benefit. 79

such as financial aid counseling

and registration, and partnered

with local services agencies. 77

Cuyahoga Community College,

for example, provides benefits

access through its Student

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Department; the college alerts

students who might qualify that

they should reach out for more

assistance. Work-study students

help with screening and

applications for public benefits. 78

22

For More Information

• Working Families Success Strategy College Implementation Guide, from MDC, describes

how to implement the WFS model: http://wfsncollegeguide.org/wp-

content/themes/workingfamiliessuccessstrategy/pdfs/MDC_WFS_all.pdf.

• A “How-To” Guide on Using Student Workers to Provide Comprehensive Student

Financial Supports, from CLASP’s Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success and

the American Association of Community Colleges, describes how institutions can

provide students with access to public benefits by incorporating student workers in their

student support services activities: http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-

publications/files/BACC-August-2014-brief.pdf.

• U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service’s State Outreach Plan

Guidance explains state outreach plans and provides related resources:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/outreach/state-outreach-plan-guidance.

• An example checklist on student eligibility (see Appendix L) is available in Hunger

Solution New York’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in New York State: An

Eligibility Prescreening Guide (2015):

http://hungersolutionsny.org/sites/default/files/included/2015_pdf_guide_with_links_fina

l_0.pdf.

• The Internal Revenue Service’s overview of education tax credit eligibility describes the

three major credits (American Opportunity Tax Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit, and

Tuition and Feeds Deduction): https://www.eitc.irs.gov/Other-Refundable-

Credits/educompchart.

• Institutions interested in partnering with the Working Families Success Network can

reach out here: http://workingfamiliessuccess.com/contact-us/.

• College leaders interested in learning more about bringing Single Stop to their campus

can e-mail info@singlestop.org and provide their name, title, institution’s name, how they heard about Single Stop, and why they are interested in Single Stop.

Provide Emergency Aid/Microgrants

Issue

Low-income students sometimes encounter challenges that threaten to derail their education,

ranging from losing a job, a car breaking down, or a family health emergency. 80 Students with little financial leeway might find themselves forced to put school on hold.

Implementation

Emergency aid and “microgrants,” which provide small grants to students who experience

financial emergencies, can help students overcome setbacks and persist in school. Drawing on

recommendations from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, best practices for campus emergency aid

programs include the following:81

• Establish and communicate clear criteria for program eligibility. Do so while also

providing flexibility for determinations in unusual circumstances. It can be difficult to

define an “emergency.” Most programs consider an emergency to be something

23

“unforeseen,” “unexpected,” or “sudden” and as a one-time occurrence, and programs

consider the extent to which the financial situation affects a student’s ability to stay in

school. Institutions might operate multiple, coordinated aid programs with different

criteria to address different issues.

• Collect and analyze program data to help guide effective practice. Evaluate your

findings. Institutions should try out new ways of reaching different groups of students

and tracking their aid distribution.

• Speed up aid disbursement. If possible, use multiple methods. Cash or debit cards

might help students address issues more quickly.

• Coordinate financial aid and emergency aid. Avoid doing so when it does not help

students.

• Equip emergency aid program administrators with information. Such information

includes details about other forms of support for students, especially benefits programs.

Ideally, microgrants or emergency aid will supplement your campus benefits access

program.

Examples

A growing number of institutions offer microgrants or emergency aid. The Wisconsin HOPE

Lab, writing in 2015, identified 102 programs. 82 Most emergency aid or microgrant programs impose some kind of limit on students’ use of funds (for example, a lifetime limit or limit per

semester or term) and a limit per request (ranging from $100 to $2,500). 83 At Northampton Community College, any emergency can trigger aid assistance—for instance, to help students

make minor car repairs to ensure they can get to class. The Scholarship America Dreamkeepers

emergency aid program provides students with financial assistance along with mentoring and

financial counseling at colleges in nine states.

Evidence suggests that microgrants help students stay enrolled. An evaluation of the

Dreamkeepers program found that students who got aid reenrolled at about the same rate as the

average on their campuses and might also become better connected to supportive services. 84 A campus leader from Georgia State attested to the Hechinger Report that while their campus aid

cost about $2 million a year, it paid for itself because Georgia State did not have to pay to

replace students who would have otherwise left. Similarly, a campus leader at the University of

Akron stated that their $200,000 per year in microgrants provided three times that in savings

from students who stay and pay tuition. 85

For More Information

• See the site for the Scholarship America Dreamkeepers program:

https://scholarshipamerica.org/dk.php.

• Investing in Student Completion: Overcoming Financial Barriers to Retention Through

Small-Dollar Grants and Emergency Aid Programs, from the Karole Dachelet and Sara

Goldrick-Rab of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, provides more information on emergency aid

strategies: http://wihopelab.com/publications/Investing-in-Student-Completion-WI-

Hope_Lab.pdf.

24

Address Food Insecurity With a Campus Food Pantry, Mobile Food Distribution, or Meal

Point Sharing

Issue

A significant proportion of students experience food insecurity, affecting their quality of life

and success in school. The Wisconsin HOPE Lab’s Hungry to Learn study of 10 community

colleges nationwide found that one-fifth of students were hungry. 86 An unpublished study from the University of Arkansas, for example, found that almost 35 percent of its students

experienced food insecurity. 87 In 2010, almost one-half of respondents to the University of California system’s student questionnaire reported that they skipped meals to save money

“occasionally” to “very often.” 88 In 2014, 14 percent of American households were food insecure. 89

Implementation

Campus food pantries directly provide food to students or staff. 90 Drawing from guidance by the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA), key steps to establish a campus food

pantry or food bank include the following:91

• Establish a steering committee with representation across campus, including

administrators, faculty, staff, and students.

• Assess your campus’s need.

• Foster local partnerships, especially with regional food banks.

• Assign staff members to operate or keep track of the day-to-day operations of the

pantry, in addition to an array of volunteers.

• Consider the dignity of those using the pantry. Many institutions operate on the honor

system and have not experienced issues.

Your institution might also partner with a local food bank or pantry to arrange mobile

distribution as opposed to a permanent, on-campus food pantry.

Also, your institution could enable students to share their extra meal points with students in need.

Examples

More than 200 colleges and universities have established food pantries—and many have set up

their pantries in the past 5 years. 92 As of March 2016, 295 institutions were members of CUFBA. 93 In Houston, for instance, Houston Food Bank is working with local community colleges Lone Star College and San Jacinto College, as well as 4-year institution the University

of Houston-Downtown, to connect students with food through its Food for Change model. The

Houston Food Bank’s Food Scholarships provide students with up to 120 pounds of food per

month—one-half of that produce—chosen by individuals themselves. Students can pick up food

both through mobile distribution centers and onsite pantries. 94

Campus centers that support students in other ways—for instance, with benefits access—are

often involved in pantries. Pantries can also serve as gateways to connecting students with other

resources. At Kennesaw State University, it appeared that many students would “test the waters”

at the pantry to see how they would be received when seeking support. 95 A growing number of institutions enable students to share meal points (or “swipes”) with hungry classmates; the

25

swipes are converted into meal vouchers that give other students access to dining halls as well as

funds to stock campus food pantries. Many institutions do so through the student-led initiative

Swipe Out Hunger, which as of June 2016 has chapters on 20 campuses.

For More Information

• The College and University Food Bank Alliance’s resources

(http://www.cufba.org/getting-started/), including a comprehensive toolkit:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B48pfvhHPAKncGNoVWNCMHhVWkE/view.

• Feeding America’s “Find Your Local Food Bank” tool:

http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-

foodbank/?gclid=CLDp9M_J2csCFYwkhgodu40D6w.

• Information on Swipe Out Hunger, including how to start a chapter:

http://www.swipehunger.org/.

Enable Students To Use SNAP on Campus

Issue

Students who participate in SNAP are often unable to use their SNAP benefits to purchase food

on campus, because campus dining halls or markets are not SNAP eligible. Students often

struggle to afford and find nutritious food. 96 SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible low-income people. People receive benefits through electronic debit cards, called

Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, which can be used in more than 246,000 approved retail stores

nationwide to purchase food. With some exceptions, able-bodied adults between ages 16 and 60

who receive SNAP are required to register for work, to take part in employment/training

programs referred by the SNAP office, and to accept or continue suitable employment. 97

Implementation

Campus stores can apply to be eligible for SNAP purchases if they meet either of two

requirements:98

1. Offer for sale, on a continuous basis, at least three varieties of qualifying foods in each of

the following four staple food groups, with perishable foods in at least two of the

categories:

• meat, poultry, or fish.

• bread or cereal.

• vegetables or fruits.

• dairy products.

2. More than one-half (50 percent) of the total dollar amount of all retail sales (food,

nonfood, gas, and services) sold in the store must be from the sale of eligible staple

foods.

Note that the 2014 Farm Bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition

Service (FNS) to enhance retailer standards that will primarily affect store eligibility under

Criterion 1 above. The primary change is that stores are required to stock at least seven varieties

of staple foods in each of the four staple foods groups, and three of the four staple food groups

must include perishables. As of 2016, FNS has proposed a rule to implement these standards.

26

Examples

A few college campuses nationwide have campus stores that are already participating as

approved SNAP retailers. In 2016, both Oregon State University and Humboldt State University

began to accept SNAP in campus stores. 99 At both institutions, campus store SNAP eligibility ties into broader work to address student housing and food insecurity. Oregon State University’s

Cascadia Market sells fresh, campus-grown organic produce. Other campus programs include an

emergency food pantry; a supplemental, needs-based program for campus dining; and

coordinated case management and referral through the university’s Human Services Resource

Center. 100 At Humboldt State, the student-driven OhSNAP! Initiative helps students apply for SNAP, runs a campus food pantry, operates a weekly stand with free fruits and vegetables,

provides free cooking demonstrations, and offers a shuttle service from campus to a local food

pantry and farmers’ market. 101

For More Information

• See the requirements for retail store eligibility for SNAP, from the U.S. Department of

Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retail-store-

eligibility-usda-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program.

• The Food and Nutrition Service’s online application for retailers to become authorized to

accept SNAP: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailers-0.

Provide Assistance With Housing Issues and Offer Emergency Housing

Issue

Students are disproportionately vulnerable to housing problems, including issues with landlords.

They may find themselves in need of housing on an emergency basis—for instance, if they are

evicted or the victim of domestic abuse.

Implementation

Colleges and universities can help students address emergency housing issues in several ways,

such as the following:

• Provide students with free legal help regarding eviction or issues with landlords.

• Offer emergency aid to cover repairs or catch up on rent.

• Dedicate spaces for emergency housing for students on a short-term basis, at low or no

cost to the student. If your school does not have on-campus housing, you could partner

with a local hotel to provide affordable rates subsidized by your institution. Institutions

can then provide help to connect students with other campus housing options or

affordable off-campus housing.

• Consult with students about resources and offer referrals to local partners.

Examples

Oregon State University’s Human Services Resource Center connects students with free legal

help for evictions, connects students with community resources, and offers emergency housing.

The emergency housing program, in partnership with the University Housing and Dining

Services, keeps two rooms open for students who are homeless or at risk of imminent

homelessness. Students can stay for a short term while staff help students identify their options,

including living on campus in another room.

27

For More Information

• See HUD resources for tenants, including laws and links to sources for legal assistance,

by state: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/rental_assistance/tenantrights.

• Barriers to Success: Housing Insecurity for U.S. College Students (2015) from HUD

provides an overview and context for college student housing insecurity:

https://huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/insight-4.pdf.

Support Student Parents, Including Campus Childcare

Issue

About one-fourth (26 percent) of all college students—4.8 million students in total—raise

children while attending school. 102 Student parents are also disproportionately likely to have economic need: 61 percent of student parents have an Expected Family Contribution of $0. 103

As rates of college attendance have grown substantially among unmarried parents, their college

completion rates remain low—and financial constraints are one major reason. 104 For these students, the high financial and logistical costs of arranging childcare while attending school—

and often working a job as well—are significant. 105 At schools that do offer campus childcare, slots are often oversubscribed. 106

Implementation

Campus childcare can ease the burden of attending school for parents raising children.

Institutions can help parents access public childcare subsidies, provide direct care on campus,

refer student parents to the right childcare for them, and provide financial aid subsidies for

childcare. In addition, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) explains how

institutions can help support student parents in many ways, including those described elsewhere

in this guidebook:107

• Identify and reach out to student parents and help them transition to school. Help

with enrollment and acknowledge their presence on campus.

• Provide mentoring and peer support specific to parents. Institutions should also build

support for student parents across campus.

• Provide academic support for parents. Offer flexible class scheduling and

hybrid/online courses.

• Help parents secure affordable housing. Consider community-based partnerships.

• Partner with local public schools to implement two-generation programs. Such

programs serve both students and their children.

Examples

Colleges and universities have implemented campus childcare through many different structures,

though the individual center structure is most common. Montgomery County Community

College in Pennsylvania, for example, serves about 70 children ages 2 through 5, is accredited

under the National Association for the Education of Young Children program, and participates in

a state childcare subsidy program. At some institutions, campuses arrange for family childcare,

and others provide referrals to local childcare. 108

28

Some institutions also provide designated aid for student parents. For about 15 years, for

instance, a local benefactor has enabled Northampton Community College to provide emergency

aid of about $300 per student per year to single parents and displaced homemakers as a

forgivable loan.

Endicott College’s two-generation Keys to Degrees program, launched in 1993, is a national

model for supporting single-parent families enrolled in college. Young adult parents (ages 18 to

24 at time of admission) enroll full time at Endicott, a 4-year college, and their children enroll in

prescreened local high-quality early education programs. Parents and their children have private

bedrooms with shared living areas in a traditional college dormitory; receive help navigating

school, single parenting, and part-time employment; receive scholarships with access to personal

tutors; and participate in an institutional internship program with a capstone full-time, semester-

long internship. Families also receive parent education to help parents choose models for early

education. Keys to Degrees has demonstrated sustained success: 68 percent of Keys to Degrees

participants who graduated or left from 2004 through 2014 graduated through bachelor degrees,

very close to the college’s average rate of 71 percent. As of 2015, Keys to Degrees houses 10

single parents and their young children (age 6 or younger at time of admission), and the college

plans to expand the program’s capacity to 20 students by 2017. Three other universities are also

replicating the program with assistance from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and U.S. Department

of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Secondary Education. 109

Prospective Federal Funding Sources

The Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools Program (CCAMPIS) provides funding to

support the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education by supporting or

establishing campus-based childcare programs that primarily serve the needs of low-income

students enrolled in higher education.

For More Information

• Prepping Colleges for Parents: Strategies for Supporting Student Parent Success in

Postsecondary Education (2013), by Rachel Schumacher of IWPR, provides guidance on

successful practices to support parents on campus drawing from on-the-ground lessons:

http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/prepping-colleges-for-parents-strategies-for-

supporting-student-parent-success-in-postsecondary-education.

• Tools for Student Parent Success: Varieties of Campus Child Care (2012), by Todd

Boressoff for IWPR, provides an overview of models of campus childcare across the

nation: http://iwpr.org/publications/pubs/tools-for-student-parent-success-varieties-of-

campus-child-care.

• Financing Child Care for College Student Success: A Toolkit for Colleges and

Universities, Program Leaders, Policymakers, and Advocates (2013), by Todd Boressoff

for IWPR, provides an overview of funding sources for campus childcare:

http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/financing-child-care-for-college-student-success.

• Find Your Way: A Guide to New England Colleges and Universities for Students with

Children (2014), from the Center for Residential Student Parent Programs at Endicott

College, reviews an array of higher education programs supporting student parents:

http://www.endicott.edu/~/media/Endicott/home/Center-for-Residential-Student-Parent-

Programs/PDFs/NewEnglandBooklet_WEB_9-29.pdf.

29

• Strengthening Student Success with Non- Academic Supports: The Role of State Policy, by

Leslie Helmcamp for the Working Poor Families Project, discusses state-level policies

and programs that can support students, including student parents:

http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/WPFP-Spring-2015-

Brief.pdf.

• The University of Wisconsin County Ad Hoc Childcare Committee has posted a variety

of resources, including a sample handbook and business plan, for campus childcare:

http://www.uwc.edu/depts/womens-studies/childcare-on-your-campus.

• The National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers provides resources for members :

https://ncccc.memberclicks.net/about-ncccc.

• The Department of Education’s page on CCAMPIS describes the program and provides

information for applicants: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/campisp/index.html.

Support Students’ Financial Capability

Issue

Many students, in particular low-income students, have relatively low levels of financial literacy

and are vulnerable when making financial decisions while in school. Many also lack emergency

savings and are financially fragile—that is, they would be unable to come up with $2,000 if the

need arose. 110

Implementation

Campuses can offer or connect students to financial capability services that improve financial

capability and academic success.

• Offer or connect students to incentivized savings programs. An Individual

Development Account (IDA) is one type of incentivized savings program. 111 IDAs offer a savings match for participants working toward an eligible asset purchase (for instance,

college tuition or other education-related expenses). IDAs can help low-income students

build assets and prepare for financial emergencies. The federal Assets for Independence

(AFI) program supports IDA programs, including at colleges and universities. Evidence

suggests that IDAs may increase postsecondary enrollment and degree attainment. 112

• Support students’ financial capability. Financial coaching, credit building

opportunities, free tax preparation assistance, and access to safe and affordable financial

products are key ways to help students develop their financial capability. Institutions can

partner with other organizations, offer services directly, provide access to financial

services tools, and refer students directly.

Examples

Colleges and universities have partnered with financial capability service providers or built their

own capacity to offer financial capability services. Skyline Community College, for instance,

partners with SparkPoint, a one-stop financial help and education center for low-income families

as well as benefits access. 113

The Matched College Savings Program (MCSP) is a partnership between Community and

Shelter Assistance (CASA) of Oregon and the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and 30

Universities to offer IDAs to eligible students with unmet financial need. 114 Qualifying low-income students who participate earn $5 in matching funds for every $1 they save. Students must

complete 10 hours of financial education and 6 hours of career-readiness training, commit to an

annual savings goal of about $300 to $500, make monthly deposits in a custodial savings

account, and agree to save over a period from 6 to 36 months. At Mt. Hood Community College

in Gresham, Oregon, for instance, the college recruits students, provides financial education, and

engages in case management, while CASA manages and administers the matched savings

account and handles other program operations. The college has offered MCSP to students

enrolled in existing support programs for single parents, students studying English as a second

language, and low-income students (for instance, TRIO programs). 115

Arizona’s Earn to Learn program provides ongoing financial education and enrolls students in IDAs that offer an 8-to-1 match rate. Students receive up to $4,000 if they save up to $500 per

academic year. The program is a collaboration of the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State

University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona, and it is open to low-

income Arizona high school or community college transfer students interested in attending one

of the three institutions. Students can use their savings to pay for tuition, fees, and approved

educational expenses such as textbooks. 116

Prospective Federal Funding Sources

The Office of Community Services at the Administration for Children and Families operates the

AFI program, a federal discretionary grant program that enables grantees to enroll participants to

save earned income in an IDA. Every dollar of earned income that a participant deposits into an

AFI IDA is matched (from $1 to $8 in combined federal or nonfederal funds) by the AFI project.

AFI participants can use their IDA savings and matching funds for one of three allowable assets,

which include postsecondary education. To learn more about applying for an AFI grant, visit the

AFI Resource Center: http://idaresources.acf.hhs.gov/.

For More Information

• Opportunities to Improve the Financial Capability and Financial Well-being of

Postsecondary Students (2015), from the U.S. Financial Literacy and Education

Commission, provides an overview of the state of financial capability for postsecondary

students, financial education programs and resources, and a matrix of campus-based

financial capability programs: http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/financial-

education/Documents/Opportunities to Improve the Financial Capability and Financial

Well-being of Postsecondary Students.pdf.

• “Back to School: Best Practices for Developing Successful Education IDA

Programming” (2012), from the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, describes how educational institutions can

implement IDAs to help low-income students save:

http://idaresources.acf.hhs.gov/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?file=01570000001amM0AAI.

• Building Financial Capability: A Planning Guide for Integrated Services (2015), from

the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, provides an interactive guide for organizations—including colleges and

31

universities—interested in integrating financial capability services into existing

programs: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/resource/afi-resource-guide-building-

financial-capability.

• About Financial Capability Services (2016), from the Administration for Children and

Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides an accompanying

resource to Building Financial Capability and highlights 10 key financial capability

services: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/resource/financial-capability-services.

• Promoting Pathways to Financial Stability: A Resource Handbook on Building Financial

Capabilities of Community College Students (2015), from the Boston Federal Reserve

Bank, makes the case for building financial capability for community college students

and highlights eight case studies: http://www.bostonfed.org/education/financial-

capabilities/handbook/financial-capabilities-handbook.pdf.

• See information on the AFI Program, from the Administration for Children and Families,

Office of Community Services:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/programs/afi/about.

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Paying for College tools help students

make informed financial decisions about how to pay for college:

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/paying-for-college/.

32

Additional Resources

An array of other guides and toolkits can help institutions identify and implement promising

strategies. Other helpful tools include the following:

• The Lumina Foundation’s guide Beyond Financial Aid: How Colleges Can Strengthen

the Financial Stability of Low-Income Students and Improve Outcomes (2015), a

complementary compendium of key strategies, college examples, and a useful

institutional self-assessment that collectively advocate broader financial supports for

students with unmet financial need, particularly low-income students:

https://www.luminafoundation.org/bfa.

• NAEHCY’s toolkit College Access and Success for Students Experiencing

Homelessness: A Toolkit for Educators and Service Providers (2013), which provides

additional context and information beginning with college access:

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf.

• Casey Family Programs’ guide Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education

Outcomes for Students from Foster Care (2010), which provides an overview of

strategies to support former foster youth in higher education, including year-round

housing: http://www.casey.org/supporting-success/.

You also might find these reference guides aimed at students helpful:

• Foster Care Transition Toolkit (2016), from the U.S. Department of Education, which

provides tips and resources to support youth currently in foster care and young adults

formerly in foster care transition to young adulthood, including higher education:

http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/foster-care/youth-transition-toolkit.pdf.

• “Navigating College: The Resource Guide for Homeless and Low Income Students”

(2016), from MoneyGeek: http://www.moneygeek.com/education/resources/homeless-

and-low-income-student-resources/.

• “Getting Ahead: An Adult Student’s Guide to Public Benefits in Illinois,” by Wendy

Pollack, from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law:

http://povertylaw.org/students.

• Beyond Financial Aid 2015: A Guide to Extra Help for Low-Income Adult Students, by

Deborah Harris of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Ruth J. Liberman of the

Crittenton Women’s Union:

https://urbancollegeofboston.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/bfa_final_8_21_2015.pdf.

33

1 National Center for Education Statistics. 2013. 2011–12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Calculations by HUD PD&R.

2 See Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. 2015. America’s Rental Housing: Expanding Options for Diverse and Growing Demand. Cambridge, MA.

http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/jchs.harvard.edu/files/americas_rental_housing_2015_web.pdf.

3 Broton, Katharine, and Sara Goldrick-Rab. 2013. Housing Instability among College Students. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin—Madison, Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education.

http://strategylabs.luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sara-Goldrick-Rab-Housing-Policy-FINAL-

copy.pdf.

4 Bishaw, Alemayehu. 2013. Examining the Effect of Off-Campus College Students on Poverty Rates. U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/ poverty/publications/bishaw.pdf.

5 See Orozco, Viany, and Nancy K. Cauthen. 2009. Work Less, Study More, & Succeed: How Financial Supports Can Improve Postsecondary Success. New York, NY: Dēmos.

http://www.demos.org/sites/default/files/publications/WorkLessStudyMore_Demos.pdf.

6 Gault, Barbara, Lindsey Reichlin, Elizabeth Reynolds, and Meghan Froehner. 2014. “4.8 Million College Students are Raising Children.” Washington, D.C: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/4.8-million-college-students-are-raising-children.

7 These data are from a survey of students from public 4-year institutions, a private nonprofit 4-year college, and two public technical colleges in Wisconsin. Over one-fourth of students surveyed gave over $100 to their families over the course of the academic year. Wisconsin HOPE Lab. 2016. “What We’re Learning: Student Financial

Contributions to Families.”

http://www.wihopelab.com/publications/Wisconsin%20HOPE%20Lab%20Data%20Brief%2016-02%20-

%20Student%20Financial%20Contributions%20to%20Families.pdf.

8 Goldrick-Rab, Sara, Katharine Broton, and Daniel Eisenberg. 2015. Hungry to Learn: Addressing Food & Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin HOPE Lab.

http://wihopelab.com/publications/Wisconsin_HOPE_Lab_Hungry_To_Learn.pdf.

9 Goldrick-Rab, Broton, and Eisenberg (2015).

10 Hungry to Learn Report; Too Distressed to Learn Report

11 See Mullainathan, Sendhil, and Eldar Shafir. 2013. Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much. New York, NY: Macmillan.

12 A study using data from two community colleges in Maryland found that food-insecure students were 22 percent less likely to report a 3.5 to 4.0 grade point average (GPA) than a 2.0 to 2.49 GPA, compared to students who were not food insecure. 56 percent of students in the sample were food insecure. Maroto, Maya E., Anastasia Snelling, and Henry Linck. 2015. “Food Insecurity Among Community College Students: Prevalence and Association with

Grade Point Average.” Community College Journal of Research and Practice 39 (6): 515–526.

13 See Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. 2001. “Access Denied: Restoring the Nation’s

Commitment to Equal Educational Opportunity.” http://www.nyu.edu/classes/jepsen/access_denied.pdf.

14 Hungry to Learn Report

15 Goldrick-Rab, Broton, and Eisenberg (2015).

16 Broton, Katharine, Victoria Frank, and Sara Goldrick-Rab. 2014. “Safety, Security, and College Attainment: An Investigation of Undergraduates’ Basic Needs and Institutional Response.” Prepared for presentation at the annual meetings of the Association of Public Policy and Management, October 2014.

http://wihopelab.com/publications/APPAM.Draft.10.28.2014.pdf.

17 Ibid. Of the housing-insecure students who received housing assistance, 11 percent of housing-insecure students lived in a public housing project, 5 percent had a voucher, and 7 percent received utility assistance.

18 See National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. “Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

Tip Sheet for Higher Education McKinney-Vento Single Points of Contact (SPOCS).”

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/spoc-tips.docx.

19 Page, Lindsay C., and Judith Scott-Clayton. “Improving college access in the United States: Barriers and policy responses.” Economics of Education Review 51 (2016): 4–22.

20 Colorado Department of Education. “Homeless Higher Education—Single Points of Contact (SPOCs).”

https://www.cde.state.co.us/dropoutprevention/homeless_hespocs.

34

21 National Association for the Education of Children and Youth. “State Higher Education Networks.”

http://www.naehcy.org/legislation-and-policy/state-he-networks

22 See Dynarski, Susan. 2015. “Helping the Poor in Education: The Power of a Simple Nudge.” New York Times, Jan. 17. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/upshot/helping-the-poor-in-higher-education-the-power-of-a-simple-

nudge.html.

23 Goldrick-Rab, Sara, Katharine Broton, and Victoria M. Frank. 2014. Single Stop USA’s Community College Initiative: Implementation Assessment. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin HOPE Lab.

http://www.singlestopusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SSUSA-Implementation-Assessment-FINAL-

7.22.14.pdf

24 Ibid.

25 See Dukes, Christina. 2013. College Access and Success for Students Experiencing Homelessness: A Toolkit for Educators and Service Providers. National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf.

26 Duke-Benfield, Amy Ellen. 2015. Bolstering Non-Traditional Student Success: A Comprehensive Student Aid System using Financial Aid, Public Benefits, and Refundable Tax Credits. Washington, DC: CLASP.

http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/bolstering-non-trad-students-formatted-paper-

final.pdf.

27 34 CFR § 668.164(f).

28 34 CFR § 668.164(f)(3).

29 See Sackett, Chase. 2015. Barriers to Success: Housing Insecurity for U.S. College Students. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. http://huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/insight/insight_2.pdf.

30 See U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. “Disbursing FSA Funds.” At p. 4–29.

https://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/attachments/1516FSAHdbkVol4Ch2.pdf.

31 National Center for Homeless Education. 2015. “Supporting College Completion for Students Experiencing

Homelessness.” http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/he-success.pdf

32 Ibid.

33 Colorado Department of Education. “Homeless Higher Education—Single Points of Contact (SPOCs).”

https://www.cde.state.co.us/dropoutprevention/homeless_hespocs.

34 See Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment. 2015. “The Federal Work-Study Program:

Impacts on Academic Outcomes and Employment.” Policy Brief. Teachers College, Columbia University, New

York. http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/CAPSEE-WorkStudy-PolicyBrief.pdf.

35 Institutions’ Federal Work Study selection procedures must be uniformly applied, in writing, and maintained in their files. 34 CFR 673.10(b).

36 Western Michigan University. “Seita Scholars Program.” https://wmich.edu/fosteringsuccess/seita.

37 Emerson, John, and Lee Bassett. 2010. Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care. Seattle, WA: Casey Family Programs. http://www.casey.org/media/SupportingSuccess.pdf.

38 See California Assembly Bill No. 1393 (2009).

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB1393.

39 See California Assembly Bill No. 1228 (2015).

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1228.

40 Emerson and Bassett (2010).

41 See U.S. Department of Education. “Student Support Services Program: Purpose.”

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triostudsupp/index.html.

42 See Sackett (2015).

43 See U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2015.

“Pathways to Opportunity: HUD’s Self-Sufficiency Programs.” PD&R Edge.

https://huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr_edge_featd_article_112315.html.

44 National Center for Homeless Education (2015).

45 Tacoma Housing Authority. 2015. “Tacoma Community College Housing Assistance Program.”

http://www.tacomahousing.net/sites/default/files/print_pdf/Education/THA-

TCC%20Housing%20Assistance%20Program%20Description%202015-9-12.pdf

46 See Chicago Housing Authority. “CHA & City Colleges of Chicago. ” http://www.thecha.org/residents/partners-

in-education-program/.

47 See Chicago Housing Authority. “Chicago Housing Authority Scholarship Program.” http://origin-

www.thecha.org/residents/chicago-housing-authority-scholarship-program/.

48 www.familyscholarhouse.org.

35

49 See Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2010. An Integrated Approach to Fostering Family Economic Success: How

Three Model Sites Are Implementing the Center for Working Families Approach. http://www.aecf.org/resources/an-

integrated-approach-to-fostering-family-economic-success/.

50 Maryland Higher Education Commission. “Tuition Waiver for Foster Care Recipients.”

http://www.mhec.state.md.us/financialAid/ProgramDescriptions/prog_fostercare.asp.

51 Ibid.

52 http://wfsncollegeguide.org/wp-content/themes/workingfamiliessuccessstrategy/pdfs/MDC_WFS_all.pdf

53 MDC. 2013. Working Families Success Strategy College Implementation Guide. http://wfsncollegeguide.org/wp-

content/themes/workingfamiliessuccessstrategy/pdfs/MDC_WFS_all.pdf.

54 Working Families Success Network. “Working Families Success Network: A Successful Strategy for Promoting

Financial Stability.” http://workingfamiliessuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/WFSN-Overview-Case-

Making-Document-101013-FINAL.pdf.

55 See Scrivener, Susan, Michael J. Weiss, Alyssa Ratledge, Timothy Rudd, Colleen Sommo, and Hannah Fresques.

2015. Doubling Graduation Rates: Three-Year Effects of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for Developmental Education Students. New York, NY: MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publication/doubling-

graduation-rates.

56 Scrivener, Susan, Michael J. Weiss, Alyssa Ratledge, Timothy Rudd, Colleen Sommo, and Hannah Fresques.

2015. Doubling Graduation Rates: Three-Year Effects of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for Developmental Education Students. MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publication/doubling-graduation-rates.

57 The City University of New York. 2015. Inside ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs): A Resource Guide on Program Structure, Components, and Management. New York, NY. http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/asap/wp-

content/uploads/sites/8/2015/05/Resource-Guide.pdf.

58 National Center for Homeless Education (2015).

59 Florida State University. 2016. “Unconquered Scholars Program Recognized as ‘Model of Excellence.’”

http://news.fsu.edu/More-FSU-News/Unconquered-Scholars-Program-recognized-as-Model-of-Excellence.

60 National Center for Homeless Education (2015).

61 Tacoma Housing Authority (2015).

62 Ibid.

63 Single Stop. 2010. “Focus Groups: Key Findings.” New York, NY. http://singlestopusa.biz/TANFfocusgroups.pdf

64 Ibid.

65 See Goldrick-Rab, Broton, and Frank (2014).

66 CLASP. “Benefits Access for College Completion.” http://www.clasp.org/issues/postsecondary/pages/benefits-

access-for-college-completion.

67 Geckeler, Christian. 2008. Helping Community College Students Cope with Financial Emergencies. New York, NY: MDRC. http://www.mdrc.org/publication/helping-community-college-students-cope-financial-emergencies.

68 Price, Derek, Meg Long, Sarah Singer Quast, Jennifer McMaken, and Georgia Kioukis. 2014. Final Evaluation Report: Public Benefits and Community Colleges: Lessons from the Benefits Access for College Completion

Evaluation. http://www.equalmeasure.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/BACC-Final-Report-FINAL-111914.pdf.

69 Ibid.

70 Ibid.

71 See American Association of Community Colleges. “Job Ready, Willing, and Able Initiative.”

http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Resources/aaccprograms/wed/Pages/jrwa.aspx.

72 Single Stop. “Single Stop USA Response to the Department of Education RFI: Promising and Practical Strategies to Increase Post-Secondary Success. ” http://www2.ed.gov/documents/college-completion/providing-single-stop-

services.pdf.

73 Single Stop. “Community Colleges.” http://singlestopusa.org/program/community-colleges/.

74 Goldrick-Rab, Broton, and Frank (2014).

75 Working Families Success Network. “About Us.” http://workingfamiliessuccess.com/who-we-are/about-the-

working-families-success-network/.

76 Working Families Success Network. “Working Families Success Network: Helping Low-Income Families Build

Stronger Lives.” http://workingfamiliessuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/WFSN-Brochure-10813-

FINAL.pdf.

77 CLASP. “Benefits Access for College Completion.” http://www.clasp.org/issues/postsecondary/pages/benefits-

access-for-college-completion.

78 Duke-Benfield (2015).

79 Price, Long, Quast, McMaken, and Kioukis (2014).

36

80 See Pratt, Timothy. 2016. “Colleges Offer Microgrants to Help Low-Income Students Pay Bills That Can Derail Them.” The Hechinger Report. http://hechingerreport.org/colleges-offer-microgrants-to-help-low-income-students-

pay-bills-that-can-derail-them/.

81 Dachelet, Karole, and Sara Goldrick-Rab. 2015. Investing in Student Completion: Overcoming Financial Barriers to Retention Through Small-Dollar Grants and Emergency Aid Programs. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin HOPE Lab. http://wihopelab.com/publications/Investing-in-Student-Completion-WI-

Hope_Lab.pdf

82 Ibid.

83 Ibid.

84 Geckeler (2008).

85 Pratt (2016).

86 Goldrick-Rab, Broton, and Eisenberg (2015).

87 College and University Food Bank Alliance. 2015. Campus Food Pantry Toolkit.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B48pfvhHPAKncGNoVWNCMHhVWkE/view.

88 Jordan, Miriam. 2015. “Colleges Launch Food Pantries to Help Low-Income Students.” The Wall Street Journal, April 7. http://www.wsj.com/articles/colleges-launch-food-pantries-to-help-low-income-students-1428408001.

89 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. “Food Security Status of U.S. Households in 2014.”

http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx.

90 In comparison, food banks collect food to supply the pantries. College and University Food Bank Alliance (2015).

91 Ibid.

92 Ibid.

93 College and University Food Bank Alliance. “Our Members.” http://www.cufba.org/member-info/.

94 See Houston Food Bank. “Food for Change.” http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/programs/food-for-change/.

95 National Center for Homeless Education (2015).

96 See Cady, Clare L. 2014. “Food Insecurity as a Student Issue.” Journal of College & Character 15 (4): 265–271.

97 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

(SNAP).” http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/SNAP_Quick_Facts_0.pdf.

98 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. “Retail Store Eligibility USDA Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program.” http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retail-store-eligibility-usda-supplemental-nutrition-

assistance-program.

99 New, Jake. 2016. “Joining U.S. Hunger Program Is Not A Snap.” Inside Higher Ed, January 29.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/29/oregon-state-among-few-institutions-accept-supplemental-

nutrition-assistance-program.

100 Oregon State University. 2016. “OSU Participation in SNAP to Help Improve Student Food Access.”

http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2016/jan/osu-participation-snap-help-improve-student-food-access. See also Oregon State University, University Housing & Dining Services. 2011. “Mission Nutrition: OSU’s Dining Centers Launch ‘Stealth Health.’” http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/uhds/?tag=cascadia-market.

101 Humboldt State University OhSNAP! http://hsuohsnap.org/.

102 Gault, Reichlin, Reynolds, and Froehner (2014).

103 Ibid.

104 Goldrick-Rab, Sara, and Kia Sorenson. 2010. “Unmarried Parents in College.” The Future of Children 20 (2): 179–203.

105 See Miller, Kevin, Barbara Gault, and Abby Thorman. 2011. Improving Child Care Access to Promote

Postsecondary Success Among Low-Income Student Parents. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy

Research. http://iwpr.org/publications/pubs/improving-child-care-access-to-promote-postsecondary-success-among-

low-income-parents.

106 Ibid.

107 Schumacher, Rachel. 2013. Prepping Colleges for Parents: Strategies for Supporting Student Parent Success in Postsecondary Education. Washington, DC: Institution for Women’s Policy Research.

http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/prepping-colleges-for-parents-strategies-for-supporting-student-parent-

success-in-postsecondary-education.

108 Boressoff, Todd. 2012. Tools for Student Parent Success: Varieties of Campus Child Care. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research. http://iwpr.org/publications/pubs/tools-for-student-parent-success-varieties-

of-campus-child-care.

109 Green, Autumn, and Richard Wylie. 2015. “Keys to Degrees: Education Two Generations Together – An

Innovative Postsecondary Program Supporting Two-Generation Mobility.” In Two Generations. One Future: An

37

Anthology from the Ascend Fellowship, edited by Christopher King, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, and Mario Small.

Washington, DC: Aspen Institute. http://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/pages/ascend-fellowship-anthology.

110 See Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. 2015. Promoting Pathways to Financial Stability: A Resource Handbook on Building Financial Capabilities of Community College Students. http://www.bostonfed.org/education/financial-

capabilities/handbook/financial-capabilities-handbook.pdf.

111 More information is available in About Financial Capability Services:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/resource/financial-capability-services.

112 See Grinstein-Weiss, Michal, Michael Sherraden, William Gale, William M. Rohe, Mark Schreiner, and Clinton Key. 2012. “Long-Term Effects of Individual Development Accounts on Postsecondary Education: Follow-up

Evidence from a Randomized Experiment.” Economics of Education Review 33: 58–68.

113 Skyline Community College. “SparkPoint.” http://www.skylinecollege.edu/sparkpoint/.

114 See Matched College Savings Programs. http://mycollegesavings.org/.

115 See Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (2015).

116 See Earn to Learn. “About Earn to Learn.” http://www.azearntolearn.org/about/.

38

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Policy Development and Research

Washington, DC 20410-6000

September 2016

Document Outline

- Establish a Campus Single Point of Contact

- Help Students Manage Housing Costs by Changing the Timing of Aid Delivery

- Prioritize Higher-Need Students for Resources, Including Housing and Work-Study, and Fill Housing Gaps During Breaks and Emergencies

- Partner With Local Agencies and Organizations

- Bundle Academic Support With Other Assistance

- Connect Students With Benefits

- Provide Emergency Aid/Microgrants

- Address Food Insecurity With a Campus Food Pantry, Mobile Food Distribution, or Meal Point Sharing

- Enable Students To Use SNAP on Campus

- Provide Assistance With Housing Issues and Offer Emergency Housing

- Support Student Parents, Including Campus Childcare

- Support Students’ Financial Capability

- Additional Resources

Table of Contents

Establish a Campus Single Point of Contact

Help Students Manage Housing Costs by Changing the Timing of Aid Delivery

Prioritize Higher-Need Students for Resources, Including Housing and Work-Study, and Fill Housing Gaps During Breaks and Emergencies

Partner With Local Agencies and Organizations

Bundle Academic Support With Other Assistance

Connect Students With Benefits

Provide Emergency Aid/Microgrants

Address Food Insecurity With a Campus Food Pantry, Mobile Food Distribution, or Meal Point Sharing

Enable Students To Use SNAP on Campus

Provide Assistance With Housing Issues and Offer Emergency Housing

Support Student Parents, Including Campus Childcare

Support Students’ Financial Capability

Additional Resources