Document Tag: New Jersey

Enhancing New Jersey College Students’ Access to Food, Housing, and Other Basic Needs Supports (2022)

This playbook was created in partnership between the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) and The Hope Center for Community, College, and Justice. OSHE is a coordinating state agency responsible for postsecondary education planning, policy development, program implementation, and advocacy. OSHE helps ensure that every resident, regardless of life circumstances, has the opportunity to obtain a high-quality credential that prepares them for lifelong success. The Hope Center for Community, College, and Justice is an action research center transforming higher education into a more effective, equitable, and impactful sector using a powerful combination of applied scientific research, technical assistance to colleges and universities, policy advising with state and federal governments, and strategic communications. Contributors from OSHE include: • Dr. Brian K. Bridges, Secretary of Higher Education • Dr. Stefani Thachik, Director of Policy and Outreach • Nicole Kirgan, Director of Communications • Suchir Govindarajan, Special Assistant and Policy Analyst Contributors from The Hope Center include: • Research and writing: E. Christine Baker-Smith, Edward Conroy, Jennifer King, David Koppisch, Victoria Price, David Thompson, Paula Umaña, and Joshua Williams • Communications: Rjaa Ahmed, Lauren Bohn, Joshua Rudolph, and Nicole Hacker

Basic needs insecurities among Rutgers students: A university wide survey (2023)

This report describes the first study to invite all matriculated students from every Rutgers Chancellor-led Unit (Unit) to participate in a survey on basic needs insecurities. It is also the first study to measure Rutgers students’ basic needs insecurities beyond food and housing.

Methods:
· The survey was conducted online from November 15 to December 14, 2022.
· A total of 7,094 students responded, for a 10.7% response rate. Response rate by Unit ranged from 8.6% to 13.5%.
· The respondents were generally representative of the Rutgers student body.

Top line Results:
· University wide, almost 1 in 3 undergraduates (31.2%) and 1 in 4 graduate students (26.5%) reported experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days.
· Graduate students were more likely than undergraduates to report having been housing insecure over the past 12 months, 46.7% vs. 31.0%, respectively.
· Homelessness was the least frequent basic need insecurity, as 7.6% of undergraduates and 8.2% of graduate students reported experiencing homelessness in the past 12 months.
· Many students reported having difficulty affording other needs that can affect their well-being and education. Some of the most pervasive needs were difficulty affording technology (42.8% of undergraduates and 47.2% of graduate students), books (43.8% of undergraduates and 40.1% of graduate students), and mental healthcare (35.8% of undergraduates and 41.6% of graduate students).
· As expected, given the different student populations of each Unit and degree level, there were disparities in the rates of basic needs insecurities across Units and degree level.

Recommendations:
· Continue to support innovative efforts to meet students’ basic needs and share best practices across Units.
· Tailor programming and policies to Unit-level student profiles and needs rather than adopt a one-size fits all, universitywide approach.
· Streamline service delivery whenever possible. Benefit hubs such as basic needs centers help connect students with Unit-based and community-based services and programs across multiple types of needs. Units should consider adopting a benefit hub model that is tailored to the needs of their students.