Housing, Off Campus and On the Streets

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Many of us are in a position where finding information or support is easy to do. Housing to us is something taken for granted, perhaps because we consider it to be a necessity. One of the main issues keeping homeless people from getting housing is lack of access to resources, and information on how to ask or where to look.

As a college student myself I have lived both at home with my parents as well as on my own in a dorm room and apartment. However, never during any of these transitions did it occur to me that I would be homeless. I have always had the funding necessary for housing, or the resources necessary to support myself when I lacked them. Yet, there are college students who do not have this, homeless students amongst us. 



Unaffordable housing costs and rising tuition have created a difficult scenario for students that have led some to not have anywhere to live. Lack of credit or knowledge on where to get housing support is something that often holds these students back. Now This, did a video a few years ago reporting that at Humboldt State University in California, one in five college students were homeless. When interviewing one of the students, Jasmine, it was revealed that she was there on a full ride academic scholarship. When asked what she believed what the main struggle was for many homeless students she responded with the lack of knowledge on possible resources. This sentiment is reflective on the homeless community in general given that many do not know about possible resources they can use. 


A study was conducted where a sample of homeless people in San Francisco were asked what the biggest obstacles were for them, many responding with a lack of places to live and a lack of money. It’s reflective of the homeless college student experience, where lack of resources and places to live leads to being homeless. In another California State University, a program is conducted for emergency housing assistance in which students can apply to live in this housing environment but only for a limited time and not after depleting other resources. These students have to prove they qualify, that they are in need, and have depleted other resources available to them. It’s similar to the assistance that homeless people can apply for, and it’s a system that works for no one. There is more need then there are programs available and something needs to get done about it. 


To learn more about housing and the challenges faced, please check out this post. 



By Henry Reyes


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