A new study from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, in collaboration with the Association of Community College Trustees, has shown that an increasing number of community college students are hungry and homeless.
The Washington Post reports that a survey of more than 33,000 students at 70 community colleges across the country found that 14% were homeless, and one in three were going hungry while pursuing a degree.
The findings, which were presented Wednesday at a town hall hosted by George Washington University, lay bare the reality of a population of students who remain largely invisible on college campuses.
“A lot of presidents and boards are not really aware of the scope and magnitude of this problem, and the fact that it’s pervasive across the country,” says J. Noah Brown, ACCT president and chief executive.
Homelessness and hunger among college students is prevalent in all regions of the country and is not isolated to urban or high-poverty areas, according to the report. Students with children were more likely to experience food and housing insecurity than those without.
Nearly a third of students going without food or shelter held jobs and received financial aid, and many work long hours at low-wage, low-quality jobs and get little sleep, the study says.
The Washington Post has the full story. See the full study.
