It’s no secret that college students are struggling with food, housing and job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. But a new study from the Hope Center For College, Community, and Justice detailed the magnitude of the problem, surveying 38,602 students at 54 colleges and universities in 26 states.
The study found that about three in five students experienced basic needs insecurity from April 20 to May 15. Two-thirds of respondents employed before the pandemic experienced job insecurity and a third lost a job because of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, 44% of students and 38% of students dealt with food insecurity at two-year and four-year institutions, respectively. Approximately 11% of students at two-year institutions experienced homelessness because of the pandemic, compared to 15% at four-year institutions. That means 4,000 people who took the survey were homeless.
“It’s a lot of homelessness,” said Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, the center’s founding director and an author of the report. “That [number] kind of blew my mind.”
And she thinks it’s likely a conservative estimate. While thousands of homeless students sat down to take the survey, there are undoubtedly others who didn’t. Plus, students “in the worst trouble” likely don’t have internet to even access the survey, she noted.
In the fall, she fears either homelessness rates among students will be higher than usual, or students facing homelessness due to the pandemic won’t be reflected in fall data – because they’ve dropped out, she said.
After all, basic needs insecurity takes a toll on mental health and academic success. The survey found that half of respondents experienced at least moderate anxiety during the pandemic, while half of students at two-year colleges and 63% of students at four-year colleges reported that they couldn’t focus on coursework.
