Addressing Homelessness and Housing Insecurity in Higher Education

Ronald E. Hallett is a professor of organizational leadership in the LaFetra College of Education at the University of La Verne, a research associate in the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California, and coauthor of Serving Students Who Are Homeless. Rashida M. Crutchfield is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach. Jennifer J. Maguire is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Humboldt State University.

• ContentsForeword Timothy P. White ix1. Introduction 1Size of the Issue 2Importance of Higher Education for Future Stability 5You Play an Important Role 6Preview of the Book 62. Housing Insecurity in Higher Education 8Higher Education Housing Continuum 8Categories of Housing Status in the Continuum 12Person-First Language 22Conclusion 233. Social and Political Context 24Economic Context 24Social Context 26Impact on Education 29Policies Framing Higher Education 31Conclusion 394. Trauma-Informed and Sensitive Colleges 43What Is (and Is Not) Trauma 43Becoming a Trauma-Informed and Sensitive College 46Conclusion 505. Localizing Housing Insecurity 52Gathering a Team 53Learning About the Issue 58Conducting a Self-Study 60Convincing Administration to Move to Evaluation Stage 65Conclusion 666. Evaluating Housing Insecurity on Your Campus 68Where to Begin 69Comprehensive Evaluation Design 70Using Existing Institutional Surveys 72Evaluation Tools 72Outcomes 76Student Voices 77Recruiting Participation 79Writing the Final Report 80Lessons Learned 82Conclusion 857. Implementing Strategies to Improve Student Experiences 86Student Input and Support 87Students Considering and Enrolling in College 89Developing a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Model on Campus 90Leveraging Existing Services 94Developing New Programs to Address Housing Insecurity 99Responses to Food Insecurity 104Career Services and Life After Graduation 108Potential Roadblocks 108Conclusion 1098. Sustaining Efforts Over Time 111Avoid Isolated Services 112Maintain Community Partnerships 112Integrate Basic Needs Security into Strategic Planning 112Connect with Advancement and Philanthropy Offices 113Provide Training for Faculty and Staff 115Use Media to Advance Your Message 116Advocate for Higher Education Policies 116Meet Regularly 117Conduct Continuous Evaluation 118Conclusion 1189. Looking Forward 120This Work Is Hard, But It Matters 120Take Care of Yourself 121Share Your Story 123Appendix A: Measuring Homelessness and Housing Insecurity 125Appendix B: Assessing Student Supports 127Appendix C: Meeting Students’ Basic Needs 131Appendix D: California State University, Long Beach, Basic Needs Program 133References 135Index 139About the Authors 147