Marcelino Nolasco 1

Carolina Marcelino Nolasco

Professor Holly Batty

English 101

Section # 20242

28 May, 2019

The Struggles of Homeless College Students

Now in days it’s hard to be successful in college with everything that is going around us.

Colleges have always been expensive but now the price have double or triple that puts students

in situations that makes them not reach their goal. The expensive tuitions are putting students to

their maximum edge of paying for rent or paying the tuition and books. Now there are more

homeless students in a college campus, because of the lack of resources. Although there are

colleges that try to support their students by trying to pass a “law” to let homeless students sleep

over night in the school parking lots, the percentage of homeless college students are rising over

the roof because the support that they are getting is not enough. Colleges should change their

fees and provide more help, and support and reach out to the students that are homeless and seek

for help.

The new studies are proving that the rate of homeless college students is very high in a

community’s colleges and around the world. In the article Behind the Problem of Student

Homelessness by Elizabeth A. Harris express “a study that surveyed students at 70 community

colleges in 24 states 14 percent were homeless”. She is for casting that students are become more

homeless and its an issue that affects everyone. Elizabeth also states, “In 2015-2016, 32,000
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college applicants were identified as “unaccompanied homeless youth,” on federal student aid

forms”. The federal is also seeing the increasing rates of the students in college. This is one of

the reasons why students can’t be successful because they see that more students are becoming

homeless and losing hope.

The universities and colleges have seen the rate on homeless students increase while

attending school, that they want to support them. In the article Homeless Youth and Higher

Education by Katy McWhirter informs the new actions that colleges and universities are making

to support their students. McWhirter stats by saying, “off- campus support services department

can help students get affordable or subsidized housing options near campus”. Also, the

department help them “find suitable roommates who can split the cost of housing and utilities”.

This show that homeless students are not by themselves and that can improve the success of

students. That shows that colleges and universities are willing to take time to help the students

and decrease the rate of homeless students.

Colleges should create new programs and have more open scholarships for homeless

students that will help them with financial situation. There are colleges that have stared new

programs and they have trying to find new ways to help their students. In the article Colleges are

looking for ways to house and feed homeless students, University of Florida has come up with

Southern Scholarship Foundation that tries to help their students find housing in a low- income

rent. The Southern Scholarship Foundation “provides 450 low income students with rent free

housing in its 25 residences.” The University is trying to make a change so that students

continue their education. This is one example of what Los Angeles Colleges should do so that

the rates go down. Another program would be college housing assistance programs that focuses

on homeless college students that need help finding a home.

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If the college helps a student find a place to live then that would be one less thing to

warry about because they have a lot on their plate. Knowing that you have a place to go and

sleep can be very helpful to be successful in school. Each student has their own battles but being

homeless its twice as hard. The article Homeless and college- Bound by Vicky S. Dill and

Cyekeia Lee explains that “homeless students face daily battles and needs as food, clothing,

textbooks, computer supplies”. These battles can be more essay to handle when you know that

you have a place to sleep and feel save. If the students know that they have a place to go at the

end of the day they will be more focus in school and being involved in camps not “fighting to

stay focused, awake, and motivated, as ell as engaged in academics” as Dill and Lee expressed.

In the other had there are people that don’t want colleges help homeless students find/

provide a home. They don’t believe that is the college responsibility to take care of the students

and should focus in other important issues. An article names Editorial: Why shouldn’t the L.A.

school system look for places to house homeless families by LA. Times, shows “This should not

be a school district construction project” it’s the point of view of may people that are against

helping out. Parents and people are concerned that the district might lose focus on the education

level. People want the district to use the money to improve the school resources and help their

students in the education level.

There are also people that don’t believe that parking lots are the place for students to be

staying overnight. The article Why not let homeless college students park in campus lots,

explains why is not the right solution for them and that there are lot of struggles. LA Times

explains “Would the law guarantee space only for students living in their cars or could homeless

students also sleep in the parking lots in tents?”. This law still has lot of questioning of who

could stay or if it’s open to everyone and who is going to pay for the services. One of the
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requirements that students have to follow, “students would have to be enrolled in classes and in

good standing at the college.” “Safe parking is not a solution to homelessness” the article is

saying that student should get something better because they are already taking the first step by

going to college, “Students who are already working on improving their living by getting college

degree, who deserve what help we can offer”.

In a community college or in a university there are students that want to have a better

future but there are obstacles that makes think if it’s the right path. Homeless students don’t

show the struggles that they go through every day to everyone. You might have been in that

situation or know someone that’s in it and have seen that’s not easy to balance all the battles.

Everyone should have the feeling to feel save and have a place to sleep. It should one less

warried for students. Homeless students should also have the chance to be successful in college

and their education level increase to get their degree / goal. All those high rates have to start

decreasing aging and more student should look for resource in camps. Homeless students are not

alone and let’s make a difference.

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Work Citied

Harris, Elizabethan A. “Behind the Problem of Students Homelessness”. The New York Time.

December 22, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/education/edlife/college-student-

homelessness.html#. March 18,2019

McWhirter, Katy. “Homeless Youth And Higher Education”. Help for Homeless College

Students: Resource and programs. www.affordablecollegesonline.org/homeless-students-

guide/#Why-Are-So-Many-Students-Facing-Homelessness. March 19, 2019

Unknown. “Homeless and College- Bound”. ASCD.org. Volume 73 Number 6. March 2016.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar16/vol73/num06/Homeless_

and_College-Bound.aspx. March 18, 2019

Unknow. “Editorial: Why Shouldn’t the L.A. school system look for places to house homeless

families?”. Los Angeles Time. 12/03/18. www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/editorial-why-

shouldnt-the-la-school-system-look-for-places-to-house-homeless-families/ar-BBQqjf4.

March 20, 2019.

Unknown. “Why not let homeless college students park in compus lots?

www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-campus-parking-homeless-20190225-

story.html. March 22,2019

West. Charlotte. “Colleges Are Looking For Ways To House And Feed Homeless Students”.

Pacific Standard. March 18,2019, https://psmag.com/education/colleges-are-looking-for-

ways-to-house-and-feed-homeless-students May 27,2019