The problem: 

With increasing college tuition costs in California, the percentage of college students suffering from food and housing insecurity augment. Most universities always give priority to first and second year students who don’t live within a 30 mile radius from campus, leaving upperclassmen stuck with having to find off campus housing. Monterey County is an expensive area to reside in and rent has overwhelmingly gone up leaving college students who don’t make the cut to get on campus housing stranded and unfortunately, homeless. This is where housing and food insecurity begins. Recent data has shown that students who suffer from housing and food insecurity don’t excel at full potential in their academics. According to the article  "Student Homelessness in Monterey County Has Skyrocketed. Here's What Those Numbers Do and Don't Say" published by the Monterey County Weekly, “the Monterey County has the highest rates of students with unstable housing situations in the region”. What the county fails to realize is that homlessness isn’t just not having a home and living on the streets, but that homlessness is also hidden. It’s hidden in students sleeping in parking lots, at the beach, sleeping over at the library, and crashing out on a friend's couch. In January 2018, the California State University Office of the Chancellor funded the study of student basic needs which states “areas around some of the CSU’s in more rural locations (HSU, CSUF, and CSUMB) showed higher levels of food insecurity”. The implications of these obstacles are petrifying and can increase the risk of mental/physical health issues, academic failure, and overall a poor quality of life. 

What has been done? 

Although CSUMB has already assisted students in receiving basic needs such as implementing otter eats and The HUB. At the federal level, several Congress members such as U.S. Representative Al Lawson, and U.S Senator Elizabeth Warren, proposed The College Student Hunger Act of 2019 on July 17, 2019. If this act is passed it would lower SNAPs twenty-hours-per-week-work requirement to ten hours a week for college students and allow Pell-Grant eligible students to apply for SNAP benefits. 

What needs to be done: 

Although spreading awareness does help people be more alert, it only goes so far to help. We must all take action whether that may be through attending a city council meeting or informing our Monterey County governor that the statistics of housing and food insecurity will keep increasing with higher tuition costs. In the article "Numerous CSUMB Students Battle Homelessness" the Monterey County Weekly states that “the university has approximately 3,750 beds”. The small amount of 3,750 beds for a college campus where about 8,000 students attend is definitely not enough if there are students who are sleeping at the beach or in their cars. CSUMB has so many old abandoned military buildings that can be taken down to create more affordable housing for college students. As our campus grows and more students attend CSUMB, the need for more affordable housing is necessary. The obvious way to bring more housing is to tear these old buildings down. For the majority of students, attending college gives them the stability they’ve longed for their whole lives. Food insecurity and unstable housing should not be the primary problem that hinders their academic success. 

Resources: 

Ceballos, Ana. "Numerous CSUMB Students Battle Homelessness." N.p., 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 04 May 2020.

Coury, Nic. "Student Homelessness in Monterey County Has Skyrocketed. Here's What Those Numbers Do and Don't Say." N.p., 21 Nov. 2019. Web. 04 May 2020.

Elizabeth. "Text - S.2143 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): College Student Hunger Act of 2019."N.p., 17 July 2019. Web. 04 May 2020.