Imagine trying to ace a midterm when you're worried about where you'll sleep that night. That's the reality for many community college students. It is well understood that taking care of basic needs is critical in enabling individuals to live healthy, fulfilling lives. For many students, particularly those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds, a lack of these basic needs are major roadblocks to successfully attending college, learning and attaining their degrees. Things like food insecurity, unstable housing, and unreliable transportation are systemic issues hitting these students the hardest. Recognizing these barriers, community colleges are providing student support services that go beyond the classroom. By offering basic needs services like food pantries, housing assistance, and access to mental and traditional healthcare, they're creating a space where students can focus on their education and build a better future.
The Realities Faced by Today's Community College Students
For today’s students, the community college experience is about much more than lectures and exams. Students are juggling jobs, family, and many other responsibilities in addition to getting their education. Many students are the first in their families to attend college, so they're navigating the whole system without a roadmap.
These statistics from The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University reveal the widespread nature of the barriers students face to equitable access to education:
- Over half of community college students are dealing with unstable housing – there is evidence showing students who are housing insecure are less likely to complete their degree and are at a higher risk for other basic needs insecurities.
- Nearly a third are struggling with food insecurity – that's skipping meals and relying on cheap, unhealthy options.
- And a heartbreaking 14% have experienced homelessness – a reality no student should have to face.
These numbers highlight a need for change, but they also underscore community college students' incredible strength and determination. Community colleges are rising to the challenge by recognizing that true success means supporting the whole student, not just their academic pursuits.
Basic Needs Centers: A Lifeline for Students
Across the country, colleges are creating spaces where students can find the support they need. Many community colleges offer basic needs centers that include food pantries, emergency housing assistance, and mental health counseling to help students navigate the stress and anxiety that often accompany these challenges.
For example, Evergreen State College in Washington provides food, housing, and essential items like clothing and hygiene products. Students can work one-on-one with a counselor to receive individualized assistance to meet their specific needs.
Johnson County Community College in Kansas goes above and beyond with its center, offering food, housing, clothing, and even help with transportation.
Beyond Campus Walls: Building a Network of Support
Colleges are partnering with community organizations and government agencies to connect students with vital resources like food stamps and healthcare. There is an increased interest in demonstrating the efficiency and effectiveness of such partnerships via outcomes like close loop referral that demonstrate the success of referrals made to organizations and agencies.
The Kentucky Student Success Collaborative is a shining example of this type of collaborative spirit. The Collaborative has formed an action network involving 49 postsecondary institutions to enhance students’ access to public benefits, bringing together higher education, government, and nonprofit organizations to address students' social and economic challenges.
Wraparound Support: Guiding Students Towards Success
Some colleges are going even further with these incredible programs that provide all-around support.
CUNY ASAP in New York helps students with everything from financial aid and career counseling to food assistance and transportation.
The New Jersey Council of County Colleges has a program that focuses on expanding access to basic needs like food and housing.
These programs prove that community college students can achieve demonstrated improvement using outcomes like attendance and degree attainment with the right support.
Tech as a Tool for Empowerment
Technology is also playing a significant role in enhancing student support services. Products such as Carelink provide an all-in-one, Social Care Coordination Platform to execute the end to end process of assessing and addressing student basic needs using mechanisms to improve engagement with students, collaboration across student coordinators and external organizations and create a rich set of data to measure success of efforts. Colleges use data and case management systems to track student progress, determine what's working, and ensure no one falls through the cracks. Platforms that offer referral management are key to ensuring students can easily access the resources they need.
The Big Picture: Investing in a Brighter Future
Supporting students is about investing in the future of our communities. We invest in a more equitable and prosperous society when we support community college students. Everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, regardless of background or circumstances. Activate Care is proud to partner with organizations like community colleges that support student success not only in their education, but with their basic social needs as well.
For more information about how CareLink supports community colleges, visit https://info.activatecare.com/carelink-colleges.