Assisting Students with Basic Needs

Students are facing higher education costs, while grants and loans shrink. Some are food and housing insecure, homeless or one emergency away from dropping out. This affects their attendance, GPA, and overall sense of well-being.

Faculty and staff have a significant role to play in identifying students at risk for food and housing insecurity and providing referrals to resources.

National Student Insecurity Statistics

Overall more than 4 million college students in the United States are food insecure and 1.5 million experience homelessness.

Within 30 Days

• 23% of undergraduate students report low or very low food security
• 12% report marginal food insecurity

Insecurity in Correlation to Location

• 23% of community college students are food insecure
• 21% of students at public universities are facing food insecurity
• 19% of students at private non-profit 4-year institutions report food insecurity
• 33% of students enrolled at a for-profit college are food insecure

Racial Inequity and Food Insecurity

• Black or African American students report the highest levels of food insecurity, at 35%
• 18% of White and Asian students report being food insecure

Homelessness

• 8% of undergraduate students and 5% of graduate students report experiencing homelessness in the previous 30 days

Financial Hardship

• 13% of undergraduate students report receiving emergency aid
• Of Students with low or very low food security;
  • 16% received any emergency aid
  • 84% did not receive emergency aid
• 1 in 5 undergraduate students report they could not come up with $500 if they faced an unexpected financial need in the following month

Student Employment 

• Even when working 20 hours per week or more, 23% are still experiencing food insecurity

*Based on a national survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education.

Recognizing Students Who Might be Struggling with Basic Needs

Multiple factors may indicate that a student is experiencing homelessness or housing and food insecurity. Some students may be embarrassed or feel shame about their situation, so the extent of the situation might not be immediately clear. Faculty and staff who understand warning signs and services offered will be more equipped to recognize and refer the student.

Not all students who experience these signs are housing or food insecure, as the signs may be due to other concerns, but these signs can often be indicators of a basic needs issue.  

Warning Signs

• Inconsistent or decrease in classroom attendance 
• Disconnected within the classroom 
• Sleeping in campus libraries  
• Consistently failing to complete assignments 
• Avoidance of personal details 
• Sleep deprivation or falling asleep in class 
• Difficulty concentrating or focusing 
• Reporting not doing the work because they haven't purchased the textbook 
• Increased level of distress  
• Hopelessness 
• Disrupted eating patterns 
• Poor health and diet  
• Poor personal hygiene 
• Wearing the same clothes continually without them being cleaned 
• Student discloses that they have been sleeping in their car, couch surfing, do not have anywhere to stay over the break period, have not been eating, do not have enough money to pay for food or bills, etc.  

How You Can Help

Referrals

Issues of food and housing insecurity and homelessness can come with a significant deal of stigma. If someone does disclose that they are facing these challenges you have several options to offer support. 

You can refer them directly to the Dean of Students office, complete one of the online nomination forms for emergency grants or housing insecurity, or suggest one of the resources on this page.

We encourage you also to contact the Dean of Students office to share these concerns.  

Referral Steps

1. Thank them for sharing with you 
   • “I’m really glad you told me what’s going on with you.” 
   • “I’m sure it was hard to share that struggle with me, thank you for trusting me.” 
2. Acknowledge the challenge they are facing 
   • “I can’t imagine how hard it is to focus in class when you are hungry.” 
   • “Not having stable housing is very stressful.” 
3. Discuss options for support 
   • “Did you know we have a food pantry in Baker Center, open to any student? It’s a resource here for students who might be struggling financially.” 
   • “The Dean of Students office may be able to help with an Emergency Microgrant"
4. Follow up to see if they accessed the resource or need more help 
   • “Were you able to connect with the Dean of Students office?” 
   • “Has your situation improved?” 

Faculty Syllabus Statement

It’s not always easy to know which students might be struggling with housing or food insecurity, to be proactive about these issues, consider adding a Basic Needs syllabus statement.

Basic Needs: Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day or who lacks a safe and stable place to live and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students Office for support by emailing deanofstudents@ohio.edu. The Food Pantry is located on the 5th floor of Baker Center and is open to all students.