Education Northwest, an Oregon-based nonprofit organization promoting education for all, unveiled the results on Tuesday of a first-of-its kind, nine-year study of the partnership between Tacoma Community College (TCC) and the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA), called the College Housing Assistance Program (CHAP). The longitudinal study followed 422 housing insecure students, who were given the opportunity to apply for a housing voucher to lower the cost of a private housing unit.
The results reveal that, even if students were not able to access a voucher or find housing, connection to the CHAP program improved their ability to get a job, their health, and their well-being. Instances of involvement with the criminal justice system diminished. Students’ connection with CHAP helped them to more easily access other supports, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), two federal programs that address food insecurity.
Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, author of the study and senior fellow at Education Northwest.
The results of the study may be key to helping higher education, and in particular community colleges, understand the vital importance of supporting a student’s housing and basic needs, said Dr. Ivan L. Harrell II, president of TCC.
“The data is very clear: our students aren’t leaving because they don’t have the academic ability — they leave because of life circumstances,” said Harrell. “How can we meet our mission as community colleges if we do not do all we can to address what’s impacting our students?”
Washington state sees over 25,000 homeless individuals daily, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s 2023 study. But it’s not just a problem facing the West Coast. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found on any given night in the U.S. in January 2022, roughly 582,000 people experienced homelessness.
For students, the unhoused data points can be shocking.
