The Office of the Dean of Students at Washington State University has been awarded two grants totaling $680,000 to help students experiencing housing and food insecurity.
Both grants are funded by the Washington State legislature and coordinated by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC). Eligible students can begin receiving assistance this fall.
Heather Case, assistant dean of students, said WSAC helped create two pieces of legislation to support student fundamental needs – Senate Bill 5702 and House Bill 1559 – after a 2022 survey found that nearly half of all college students across Washington experienced some form of basic needs insecurity. One in three students surveyed experienced food insecurity or housing insecurity, and one in 10 students experienced houselessness in the past 12 months.
Senate Bill 5702, signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in May 2023, expands the Students Experiencing Homelessness and Foster Youth Pilot Program, which began two years ago. WSU participated in the pilot program and Case said it had a significant impact on helping students who were unable to pay their housing expenses. The program will now provide housing support funding for every public college and university in the state.
WSU received $204,000 for the next two years. The money will be used to help undergraduate and graduate students pay their housing costs. Students must demonstrate they have housing insecurity and permanently reside in Washington to be eligible for this assistance.
“The impact of the pilot grant was significant, as many students were on the verge of being evicted,” Case said. “Students have said the grant funds are life changing and kept them on the path to degree completion.”
WSU joins new pilot program
The success of the Senate Bill 5702 grant, combined with the high number of college students experiencing food insecurity, prompted the state legislature to adopt House Bill 1559, known as the Establishing the Student Basic Needs at Public Postsecondary Institutions Act, in May 2023.
The act calls for the creation of a pilot program to support students experiencing food insecurity. WSU was selected by the Washington State Council of Presidents as one of only two four-year public universities in the state to participate in the pilot.
Case said WSU’s allocation of $480,000 over two years (and a commitment for additional third-year funding) will be used to support first-year, Pell-eligible or Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) students living in the residence halls. She said many students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, often find themselves short of Resident Meal Plan funds toward the end of the semester, when high-stakes assignments and exams are due.
“You can’t do your best work when you’re hungry,” Case said. “These students’ most fundamental needs are not being met at a time when we are demanding the most from them.”
Students will be invited to apply for grant assistance through Student Financial Services and can receive up to $500 in dining dollars each semester. Recipients will be required to participate in educational workshops related to nutrition and budgeting skills to receive the funds.
The grant also funds a three-quarter position and a half-time graduate assistant, likely to be housed in the Dean of Students office, to promote the program to students, help them apply for funds, and direct them to other support resources.
“If we can start educating students when they first come in, give them the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to reduce their risk of experiencing food insecurity, hopefully it sets them up for success throughout their time at WSU,” she said.
