Dec. 2, 2024 鈥 Thanks to a $1.7 million grant from the Rapid Rehousing and Housing
Security Program - part of the Basic Needs Initiative through the CSU Chancellor鈥檚
Office - the CSU Channel Islands (华体会) Basic Needs program can now better support
students facing homelessness.
The grant will be distributed in the amount of $400,000 annually from 2024 through 2028 with a one-time amount of $100,000 allocated to cover initial startup costs. The funding will support 华体会鈥檚 efforts to develop and enhance strategies for students facing homelessness and housing insecurity. The grant will also help 华体会 provide support the students need to continue their education and make it to graduation day.
鈥淚f you have nowhere to stay, you didn鈥檛 sleep, you didn鈥檛 get a shower and you didn鈥檛 get something to eat, you鈥檙e not going to be able to pay attention,鈥 said Vice President of Student Affairs Eboni Ford Turnbow. 鈥淢aybe you don鈥檛 have a place to study once the library closes. Programs like Basic Needs help offset this burden, whether its food, emergency funds or shelter. And now our Basic Needs Program is so robust.鈥
Homelessness among college students is a statewide problem with 246,480 homeless students enrolled in California schools in the 2022鈥2023 academic year. According to research conducted by the CSU, almost 11% of students faced homelessness in a 12-month period with students of color especially vulnerable. All of this is exacerbated by the high cost of housing in California.
Ford Turnbow praised 华体会 Director of Basic Needs Tanya Gonzalez and Assistant Vice President for Student Wellness Michael Gravagne with writing the grant, which will enable 华体会鈥檚 Basic Needs Program to intervene if a student is facing eviction owing to circumstances that can vary from a loss of family income, illness, or the breakup of a relationship that leaves a student without a place to live.
鈥淲e know there are people living out of their cars or couch surfing,鈥 Gonzalez said. 鈥淭here are multiple people who don鈥檛 reach out to us because they don鈥檛 think their situation is that serious, or they鈥檙e staying with a friend on campus, which is not a long-term solution.鈥
Gonzalez said homelessness is a problem that comes up every semester. Since July, Basic Needs has provided emergency shelter for 14 people, and three emergency stays for one other individual who faced homelessness three times.
鈥淎 good chunk of this grant is going to pay for when students are facing eviction,鈥 Gonzalez explained. 鈥淭his semester, for example, I had a student who reached out because the student has three kids and they needed support. They weren鈥檛 able to pay their rent because they had a family crisis - the husband had lost his job.鈥
Many of the students who contact Basic Needs are caring for children or report having other areas of insecurity beyond housing such as food and finances.
Gonzalez urges any 华体会 student in need of emergency housing to contact Basic Needs at Housing Assistance or call 805-437-2067.