Document Tag: housing insecurity

Does Rent-Free Community Housing Make a Difference in Higher Education Outcomes? (2022)

This study provides one of the first causal estimates of the impact of housing on academic outcomes. While college students are too often dismissed as a privileged and healthy part of the population, researchers increasingly observe housing insecurity among college students. This problem worsened during the pandemic, underscoring the link between housing, employment, mental health, and wellness. Even in states like Florida where tuition costs are stable, basic needs expenditures and the stress associated with basic needs insecurity can negatively impact college students’ success academically as well as their well-being during and after college. Housing is of particular importance as a critical basic need for today’s undergraduate students. The study takes place before and during the ongoing pandemic, thus providing a unique opportunity to understand the short-term impacts of housing on belongingness, mental health, and academic outcomes for the five cohorts studied (Fall 2018 through Spring 2021 housing scholarship applicants). Additionally, we can examine longer-term impacts of housing net the impact of the pandemic on a variety of student outcomes resulting from a mixed-methods design. Because it is difficult and often impossible to fully measure the many pre-college and college-year factors which may contribute to student outcomes, Randomized Control Trial(RCT) is a preferred “gold standard” for evaluation studies, notably for college completion. Triangulated data include admissions application information, a base-year survey at the time of application (response rate: 81%), and a follow-up survey and stratified random sample of interview respondents. We conduct this analysis with these questions in mind: 1)Does this scholarship influence student well-being as measured by belongingness, mental health, and/or financial wellness? 2)Does the provision of a housing scholarship have an impact on student retention or completion? The evaluation aims to assess the “education for life” housing intervention model: rent-free housing and community living for students who receive the scholarship, carefully isolating the effect of housing in comparison to eligible applicants who do not move into this scholarship housing community. Baseline data indicate this population experienced challenges with mental health and financial wellness (including basic needs insecurity) at the time of application.

Findings from the study suggest that these rent-free community housing supports provide greater financial well-being, mental health, and postsecondary educational impacts. More specifically: •Reduced need for paid employment, •Reduced perceived stress, and •Enhanced retention and graduation in terms following assignment. Overall, the housing program appears to serve a population that is academically strong at the start but with considerable financial and health needs. Considerations for implementation and scale are discussed for community programs. Further investigation may allow greater insights into the longer-term impacts of the scholarship program, as most students were still enrolled and on target but had not yet finished college. Our mixed-methods data suggest potentially distinct impacts for STEM students as well as for students whose housing was interrupted during the pandemic.

Hungry to Win: A First Look at Food and Housing Insecurity Among Student-Athletes (2019)

Student-athletes compete in school and on the field. They are often full-time students and fulltime athletes, making it challenging to manage their time, health, and finances. Some receive financial assistance for their participation. Full scholarships are uncommon and generally awarded at Division I schools. Most student-athletes, however, receive only partial scholarships or none at all. Yet nearly all face additional rules, restrictions, and requirements based on their funding, their coaches, and the collegiate athletics association. For example, student-athletes are frequently prohibited from working while their sports are in-season. They are also unable to accept “extra benefits” from anyone to help with living costs. Former Baylor running back Silas Nacita was homeless but lost NCAA eligibility after accepting unapproved housing, while former UCLA linebacker Donnie Edwards was forced to pay restitution for accepting groceries left for him when he was food insecure.1 This is the first report to expand on media coverage documenting incidents of food and housing insecurity, even homelessness, among student-athletes. Given the limited sample size, it can be assumed that the prevalence—and the consequences—of these incidents are much more pervasive.

Addressing Housing Insecurity and Living Costs in Higher Education (2016)

This Guidebook, co-authored with the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, reviews and explains strategies that institutions of higher education may consider to support their students with housing insecurity and other living costs, as well as examples of these strategies’ implementation. In the introduction, the Guidebook contextualizes these strategies with reference to evidence on student living costs, most of which has been discussed in prior PD&R publications. With high rates of college enrollment despite stagnant or declining family incomes and increasing college costs, today many college students are struggling to make ends meets and succeed in school. Key strategies include, for example, engaging in extensive, approach outreach for students who may benefit from support; partnering with local agencies and organizations such as Continuums of Care; and connecting students with benefits. The Guidebook is sourced from interviews, suggestions from stakeholders including other federal agencies, and existing research.

A First Look at the Impacts of the College Housing Assistance Program at Tacoma Community College (2021)

Affording living expenses presents a major barrier to degree completion for many community college students. Food, affordable housing, transportation, and childcare are central conditions for learning. Yet with stagnant incomes, rising tuition and living costs, and insufficient support from financial aid and the social safety net, approximately one in two community college students struggle to afford these basic needs.1 Additionally, as many as one in five experience homelessness.2 The College Housing Assistance Program (CHAP), operated by the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Tacoma Community College (TCC), is at the forefront of the nationwide fight to ameliorate homelessness among college students.3 CHAP is one of the country’s first partnerships between a housing authority and a community college and offers a unique model. In contrast to other programs such as student-run shelters, rapid-rehousing, and college-owned affordable apartments, CHAP utilizes government-subsidized housing assistance to provide housing to homeless and near-homeless community college students. This report offers the initial lessons learned from the first external evaluation of CHAP. Successful program implementation is crucial to providing benefits for students, and can be especially challenging in housing programs. We therefore focus on how students experienced the program, where they faced barriers, and where they found support. It is too early in the evaluation process to draw conclusions about the program’s efficacy; these are short-term insights.

Poverty in American Higher Education: The Relationship Between Housing Insecurity and Academic Attainment (2021)

A substantial share of college students experience housing insecurity and too many students leave higher education before earning a credential. Both of these experiences are more common among students from low-income families who often lack adequate resources. While prior conceptual and qualitative investigations suggest that housing insecurity is associated with poorer student outcomes, this relationship has not been tested due to quantitative data limitations. In this paper, I use data from a state-wide longitudinal study of students from low-income families to conduct the first empirical test of the relationship between housing insecurity early in college and later college achievement and attainment. Findings show that housing insecurity is a statistically significant predictor of academic success, net of background factors. Specifically, housing insecurity is associated with an 8 to 12 percentage-point reduction in the probability of later degree attainment or enrollment. In the short-term, housing insecurity is also associated with lower mean GPA, a lower probability of obtaining at least a 2.0 GPA, and a higher probability of enrolling part-time rather than full-time, indicating that housing insecurity affects students’ college academic experiences in multiple ways. Efforts to promote college attainment should be expanded to consider students’ housing security. There are likely several points in time and multiple ways that higher education institutions, nonprofit agencies, and policymakers can intervene to promote secure housing and college success.