In 2019, JBAY successfully advocated for a $20 million investment to address homelessness among college students in California’s three-tier higher education system: community colleges, California State University campuses and UC campuses. The funding established the College-Focused Rapid Re-Housing Program.
The win was significant because it was California’s first-ever investment to address homelessness among college students. According to Education Director Debbie Raucher, this investment reflects the changing realities of college students. “When we think of homelessness, we often overlook college students because we assume they can live with their families. But the fact is, many of their families are also in housing crisis or in the case of foster youth, not in their lives.”
The program is now up and running and JBAY has been there each step of the way. The first step was working with each system to determine a process for identifying which schools would receive the funding. While $20 million is a significant investment, it wasn’t enough to address the overwhelming need. A 2019 report found that 19% of community college students were homeless in the previous year.
College campuses were selected from around the state, including 14 community colleges, 8 CSU campuses and all 9 UC campuses.
JBAY worked closely with each campus to educate them about how to implement college-focused rapid rehousing, a model to quickly move students out of homelessness and into safe, stable housing and help them to identify local housing provider partners. JBAY also partnered with the systems offices to host several virtual convenings to allow campus representatives to share best practices and learn from experts in the field.
Now programs are underway and served 1,646 students during the 2020-21 academic year. The timing could not have been better. With the onset of COVID, college students have been seriously impacted. In a March 2021 JBAY report, 100% of foster youth attending college reported that the pandemic had at least one negative impact on their education, with 45% reporting a failing grade and 28% disenrolling.
According to JBAY Executive Director Amy Lemley, addressing the housing needs of students is necessary if our higher education systems are going to be equitable, “Students come to higher education from many different backgrounds, including foster care. They are ready and willing to learn, but practical challenges like housing often derail their progress. At JBAY, we are proud to be playing a role in making higher education available for all.”