Our Work - EDUCATION
Addressing College Student Homelessness
Close to 20 percent of California’s Community College students are experiencing homelessness, with rates for Black students double those of White students. Proven strategies exist for addressing this challenge and increased collaboration between post-secondary systems and the systems that work to address homelessness is essential to enable these students to be successful. JBAY has been at the forefront of efforts to address college student homelessness.
College Focused Rapid Rehousing
In 2019, JBAY successfully advocated for a $19 million annual investment to address college student homeless that included $3.5 million to the University of California, $6.5 million to the California State University system and $9 million to the California Community College system.
In 2022, the allocation to the California Community College system was increased to $19 million.
Campuses are required to use this funding to establish partnerships with community-based housing providers to provide wrap-around services and rental subsidies for eligible students.
Resources
College/Homelessness Systems Partnerships
In 2020, JBAY joined forces with Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to create a strategic plan to address homelessness among college students that articulates goals in the areas of shared applied learning, policy advocacy and data-driven approaches. Based on this and other examples, JBAY produced a set of recommendations for expanding partnerships between colleges and homelessness response systems.
