New Student Guide Reveals Silent Struggle of Homeless Student

July 17, 2018 (Seattle, WA)BestColleges.com, a leading provider of higher education research and college planning resources, today announced the release of a new resource guide for students experiencing homelessness and basic needs insecurities while attending and applying for college.

According to a 2018 study conducted by Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, 36% of university students were housing insecure in the last year and food insecure in the 30 days preceding the study. While homelessness and basic needs insecurity affects many student demographics across the United States, the data shows that foster youth, LGBTQ students, female students, black students, and Native American students are among the groups most affected. Additionally, the study notes that community college students face homelessness and basic needs insecurity at a greater rate than students at four-year institutions. One of the greatest obstacles these students face is a fundamental lack of adult financial and emotional support to guide them through the process of applying for and beginning college.

“With the cost of college application fees, tuition, and housing on the rise, we are seeing more and more students who are afflicted with homelessness and basic needs insecurity denied the opportunity to apply for college. Unfortunately, many of these students do not seek public assistance due to a limited knowledge of resources and social stigmas surrounding their situations,” said Stephanie Snider, Director of BestColleges.com. “Our new guide is designed to examine the challenges and underlying issues that cause student homelessness and basic needs insecurity while providing resources to help these students overcome financial and accessibility constraints before and during their postsecondary education experience.”

The guide also features interviews with five experts from universities, nonprofit organizations, and youth support and development programs around the United States. These individuals offer their knowledge and perspectives on the current state of student homelessness and basic needs insecurity while discussing the academic and career potential challenges that these students often face.

“By outlining the academic and social challenges that impact homeless students in college and offering valuable resources and perspectives surrounding the issue, we believe students experiencing these predicaments can learn to better manage their financial disparity and gain the opportunity to achieve their academic goals,” added Stephanie Snider.

To view the complete resource guide, please visit here.

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