How Can We Help Homeless Students Succeed

Helping Homeless Students Succeed | By Mindy Sandoval

I work closely with homeless college students in my role as a Peer Resource Navigator with the nonprofit Warren Village, and that has opened my eyes to the many struggles these students face in our community. 

Imagine writing an essay on a smartphone with a dying battery while you’re out in public, and you’re worrying about your safety while doing so. Imagine having a physical ailment on top of trying to work and go to school while having a small child to care for. These are only a couple of examples from students that I personally met.

I also hear comments from people outside of this demographic like “They’re so lucky, I wish I was poor enough to win that kind of scholarship” or “Those students don’t deserve to get a hand out, they should go out and work.” The reality is many unhoused college students work more hours than many housed students and also accomplish just as much in their education. 

But, there are not enough programs or funding available to support students who are trying to escape the trenches of homelessness and poverty. 

Some existing programs also have unrealistic expectations for homeless students. For example, there are programs that require full-time enrollment which is difficult for students facing housing instability who hold multiple jobs. The programs may also require a GPA over 3.0, which is above average, to prove the student represents a good investment of those funds. Even though most of the students I met through the programs I worked and volunteered in were students with high GPA’s, it’s not the typical scenario for many homeless students. 

So, how can we help these students succeed? One major way needs to be housing. Most affordable or subsidized housing is held for single parents or those with disabilities, not single students who are sleeping in their car or staying with a friend. If they are out of sight, they’re out of mind, and there is no help for those we don’t see. Thinking outside of the box to create a housing system that supports homeless students would make all of the difference to students, business owners and the economy.

Another solution is to better educate students about the college system itself. So many students start out at a university because they think that an associate’s degree is less likely to support themselves and their families. Universities could provide more information about different pathways to enrollment suggest that the student take classes at a community college then transfer to a university. This approach can save a student a lot of money in the long run. 

Schools should also suggest taking out loans as a last resort. School support staff are not always trained on how to propose or counsel the student on the best way to use grants and scholarships, nor do they always know what all of the educational expenses are on a tuition bill. Most homeless students I met are on Medicaid and didn’t realize the school was charging them a significant amount for school based medical support and could get that fee waived. Impoverished and homeless students who take out student loans also put themselves at risk of spending a longer amount of time in poverty by having to pay back the loans, some of which carry high interest rates. 

It all goes back to the public understanding that the unhoused are not just living out on the street corner—they’re all around us. They are us.

Mindy Sandoval worked with homeless students as a member of the advisory boards for the nonprofits Hide in Plain Sight and EEqual.