New California Community Colleges Survey Highlights Food and Housing Insecurity Among Students

The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice released a new report highlighting food and housing insecurity among California community college students.

The report, California Community Colleges #RealCollege Survey, evaluated access to affordable food and housing at 57 California community colleges in the fall of 2016 and 2018. Of the nearly 40,000 California community college students surveyed, half experienced food insecurity 30 days prior to the survey, 60% were housing insecure in the previous year, and 19% were homeless in the previous year. 

Cañada College participated in the survey and received the following topline numbers:

In response to these figures and the new report, Dr. Jamillah Moore, President, Cañada College said, “We identified food and housing insecurity as a growing threat to our student population years ago and immediately began taking action. Cañada College is proud of what we’ve done to support our students through initiatives including subsidized lunches, an on-site food pantry, and an annual Awareness Summit designed to highlight these issues, connect community partners, and collaborate towards new solutions. The release of this report only adds urgency to our resolve—locally, regionally, and statewide—in finding new ways to help our students meet these basic physiological needs so they can thrive academically.”

To read the full report visit: https://hope4college.com/category/reports/.

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The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 115 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit research center founded in 2013 that began as the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. Its studies have drawn a sharper public focus on how the rising costs of basic needs such as food and housing are making it more difficult for college students to concentrate on school.