Student Hunger, Housing Insecurity,
and Unmet Financial Need:
Overcoming Barriers to College Completion
Sara Goldrick-Rab, Temple University
Amy Ellen Duke-Benfeld, Center for Law & Social Policy
An Overlooked Problem
• Concerns about college affordability are widespread
• College students, like schoolchildren, have basic needs for food &
shelter
• But food and housing security is rarely assessed in higher education
Prevalence
Surveys across the nation indicate that substantial numbers of students
are enduring food and housing insecurity.
• Two national studies (HOPE Lab & CUFBA) find about 20% of students
have very low levels of food security & about 13% are homeless
• The University of California System, Cal State University System, and
City University of New York find even higher rates
Which Students?
• All types of colleges– public, private, 2-year and 4-year
• Higher rates among lower-income students and students of color
Yet Stereotypes Persist
Ramen was fine for me
Learn to live within your means
Couch-surfing means you’re having fun
GET A JOB!
Student Experiences
• For some, this is a new struggle
• For others, it’s a longstanding one
• Most are already receiving financial aid and working
Affecting Academics
• Food and housing insecurity make it difficult to learn
• The search for resources is time-consuming
• Both conditions are associated with lower rates of degree completion,
and housing insecurity in particular has sizable effects
What Safety Net?
There’s barely a safety net for undergraduates
• Food:
• SNAP? Eligibility rules limit participation & restrictions on retail outlets
hinder availability on campus
• National School Lunch Program? Nope
• School Breakfast Program? Nope
• Housing:
• Very little affordable housing on or near campuses
• Few emergency housing resources
Role of Public Benefits and Tax Credits
• Build a comprehensive student aid system
• Can reduce unmet need
• Can increase financial stability of adults and youth
• Can help students care for their families
• Can compliment existing funding streams
• Challenge: Do our public benefits and tax credit policies support
our institutional, state, and national completion goals?
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Child Care Subsidies
American Opportunity Tax Credit
TANF
Medicaid
Child Tax Credit
Unemployment Insurance
WIC
EITC
Child Support
WIOA
Housing Vouchers
SNAP (Food Stamps)
Veterans Benefits
CHIP
SSI
Social Security
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Low-Income Parent Eligibility
• Eligible for wide range of programs
• Some programs are limited to families with children
• Others are open to childless adults, but are more generous or have
fewer restrictions for parents
• Few receive all programs they are eligible for:
• Some programs have capped funding
• Eligible individuals may not know about programs, or may be
deterred by the burden of establishing and maintaining eligibility
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Low-Income Parent Eligibility
Likely to receive (> 80%)
• EITC
• Health insurance for kids
Probably receive (50-80%)
• Health insurance for parents
• SNAP (Food Stamps) and WIC
Might receive (<50%)
• TANF, child care subsidies, housing subsidies
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Low-Income Childless Adult Eligibility
(no disability)
Probably receive (50-80%)
• EITC
• Only eligible if aged 25-64
• max of $496 per year
• SNAP (Food Stamps)
Might receive (<50%)
• Housing subsidies
• Public health insurance (especially since Medicaid expansion)
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Why Don’t More Students Access Benefits?
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•
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Lack of information, misinformation about eligibility
Applying is often time consuming, frustrating
Stigma and other social/cultural barriers
Most importantly, higher education and public benefits policies aren’t
aligned
Governance Challenges
• Administration of public benefits programs spread across
departments and levels of government
• Split decision making among levels is common across a range of
programs
• This makes it difficult to align anti-poverty and college completion
policies
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SNAP (Food Stamps)
• Available to poor households
• Provides monthly allotment via EBT to buy
groceries
• Maximum monthly amount is roughly $200
for a household of 1
• False perception that it is not available to
students
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Students Can Receive SNAP; Changes Needed
• Students are eligible if they meet income, asset criteria and any
of the following apply:
• Caring for a child under age 6;
• Single parent caring for a child 6-11 and enrolled full-time, or unable to
obtain child care;
• Working for pay at least 20 hours per week;
• Receiving any work-study funds;
• Receiving TANF benefits;
• Unable to work because of disability; OR
• Enrolled in certain programs aimed at employment.
• Policy recommendations
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Subsidized Housing Assistance
• Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8) provides vouchers
to subsidize rent in private apartments and dwellings
• Public housing is also available through local Public Housing
Authorities (PHA)—each PHA has the discretion to establish
preferences
Housing Assistance Recommendations
• Section 8: A student may receive only while living separately if
both the student and student’s parents are eligible
• Does not apply to students who are vets, married, have a child, or are
24 years old or older
• Adult students who live with their parents are considered dependents
only when they enroll full time
• Public housing: Local PHAs definition of eligible “families”
sometimes excludes or deprioritizes full-time students
Treatment of Public Benefits by Federal
Financial Aid
• Most benefits are not counted as income for purposes of
financial aid
• Unemployment Insurance benefits counted, but can be disregarded by
financial aid administrator
• Receipt of TANF, SNAP, WIC, free or reduced price school lunch,
Medicaid, and/or SSI triggers the simplified EFC formula
• Assets are not considered
• Receiving these benefits plus family income below $25k threshold
triggers automatic zero EFC & max Pell Grant
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Treatment of Student Aid by Public Benefits
Programs
• Federal financial aid largely not treated as income in
determining eligibility for benefits
• Several programs count as income any assistance that
goes toward living expenses (indirect educational
expenses)
• SNAP, housing subsidies, and Medicaid
• Making Pell Grants non-taxable would solve much of this problem
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How are Colleges Helping Students Access Public
Benefits?
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Inform students about the existence of programs
Help students understand how to apply
Screen students to determine if they are eligible and assist them to apply
Assist students to provide needed documentation and understand any
barriers to eligibility
• Follow-up with benefits programs/local offices to troubleshoot on behalf of
individual students
• Advocate for policy changes that streamline benefits receipt for students
Recommended Resources
• Addressing Housing Insecurity And Living Costs In Higher Education A
Guidebook For Colleges And Universities
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development & Wisconsin HOPE Lab
• WISCONSIN HOPE LAB WEBSITE- www.wihopelab.com
• Research and policy recommendations
• Benefits Access For College Completion: Lessons Learned From A
Community College Initiative To Help Low-income Students (CLASP)
• Bolstering Non-traditional Student Success: A Comprehensive Student
Aid System Using Financial Aid, Public Benefits, And Refundable Tax
Credits (CLASP)
• CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY WEBSITE: www.clasp.org
• Research and policy recommendations