**Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program**

**FY 2022 Awardees**

The Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students (Basic Needs) Program provides grants to eligible 

institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support programs that address the basic needs of students and 

to report on practices that improve outcomes for students.  Funded for the first time in FY 2021, the 

Basic Needs Program supports IHEs that demonstrate a commitment to developing or enhancing 

programs that support the basic needs of students. For FY 2022, the Notice Inviting Applications was 

published in the Federal Register on August 2, 2022. The deadline to submit applications was 

October 3, 2022. We received 113 applications of which 110 were eligible for review. Applications were reviewed on panels that consisted of non-Federal reviewers. Due to budget constraints for the program, we were only able to fund 14 highest ranked applications.  The maximum award amount allowed is $950,000 for the 3-year Performance period.  Project Abstracts for the 14 funded applicants are below. 

**Table of Contents**

The University of Puerto Rico at Ponce........................................................................2

Dona Ana Community College.............................................................................................................3 

Northwest-Shoals Community College.........................................................................4

University of North Carolina at Pembroke...........................................................................................................5

Northeast State Community College.............................................................................................................6 

SUNY Old Westbury.........................................................................................................7

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology.................................8

Broward College..................................................................................................9

Cuyahoga Community College................................................................................10

Pensacola State College.........................................................................................11

Phoenix College.................................................................................................12

University of Houston-Clear Lake............................................................................13

Palm Beach State College......................................................................................14

**The University of Puerto Rico at Ponce (PR)**

**ABSTRACT**

# 

The University of Puerto Rico at Ponce presents ***Bien Estar*by CONSEP**project proposal in response to the United States Department of Education's Fiscal Year 2022 Grant Competition under the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program (84.116N).

The purpose of this project is to promote the integral quality of life of the students at the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce, especially those who are among the minority groups, neglected, or in unequal conditions (first generation of university studies, LGBTQI+ population, students with functional diversity, low income, homelessness, or home insecurity) through the provision of equal interdisciplinary support basic need services that facilitate their integration into university life. Its goal is to increase diversity and access to services for these students who express a need for basic or other services for emergency reasons.

This project will address **Absolute Priority 1**— Strengthening Cross-Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change and **Absolute Priority 2—**Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities, and the **Competitive Preference Priority**—Meeting Student Social, Emotional and Academic Needs.

To accomplish the purpose of the project, ***Bien Estar*by CONSEP**key personnel proposes to address **three essential services of basic needs, Food, Housing, and Mental Health**to support students’ needs to be developed by highly qualified personnel with expertise in their respective fields. For addressing **food security needs**, this project proposes to offer (1) ***Food Vouchers***of

$100 monthly to be redeemed at the college cafeteria; (2) Coordinate with government agencies to assist students with ***food stamps***access; (3) Update the space of ***Campus Pantry***to supply students in need of food safety with nutritious foods and other personal items for their home. Services to be offered in housing needs will be ***stipends***of $250 per student that qualify for the achievement of housing or lodging to students who, in an emergency, do not have the economic capacity to afford the expenses while resorting to the help provided by interagency collaborations. ***Mental Health***services will be offered to (1) educate the college community about the impact of basic needs on the academic development of students; (2) offer psychological assistance following the Mindfulness model and (3) create a relaxation and rest space area for college students.

The outcomes of the proposed services will address the basic needs of Food Security, Housing, and Mental Health of UPR Ponce students. Also, they will improve outcomes for students in their academic performance and increase retention and graduation rates for UPR Ponce students promoting the completion of their academic degree.

The total cost of the project by each year is: $315,343 for the first year, $316,540 for the second and third year. The total for 3 years of financing of the project will be **$948,423**.

**Dona Ana Community College (NM)**

**ABSTRACT**

New Mexico State University (NMSU)–Doña Ana Community College (DACC) is a two- year, public community college located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and includes service area locations that border Mexico. DACC’s diverse student population is drawn primarily from Doña Ana County, which covers approximately 3,815 square miles in southern New Mexico and is home to 218,195 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). DACC is an open enrollment institution and the largest community college in the NMSU system and supports the mission of NMSU-Las Cruces, New Mexico’s land grant university, “serving the educational needs of New Mexico’s diverse population through comprehensive programs of education, research, extension education, and public service.”

In response to the growing needs within the DACC services area, and our commitment to the mission of the institution, DACC requests $950,000 over three-years from the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education to implement the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students program. DACC Thrive is designed to increase the number of underserved students that have access to and receive basic needs services. Through a well-coordinated approach with a network of basic needs service providers, DACC Thrive will increase student success rates (persistence, completion, transfer, and workforce placement) by providing wrap-around services through one-stop support centers located throughout the service area.

As a community college, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), the project meets both Absolute Priorities. The project also addresses the Competitive Preference Priority for this competition to include 1) Fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved students, and 2) Implementing evidence-based practices for advancing student success for underserved students. students’ social, emotional, career development, and academic needs.

Aligned with institutional structures and programming that includes continuous funding streams, the following project goals have been identified. Goal 1: Decrease basic needs insecurities; Goal 2: Increase persistence rates for underserved students; and Goal 3: Increase completion rates for underserved students. Three overarching project initiatives have been developed to support the achievement of these goals including: 1. Develop comprehensive one-stop support centers, 2. Foster a sense of belonging and inclusion for underserved students, and 3. Expand communication and outreach in collaboration with partners.

Designed to incorporate evidence-based practices, DACC Thrive will implement activities that have demonstrated positive results with increasing success metrics for underserved students and students experiencing basic needs insecurities. These activities are focused on expansive efforts to provide basic needs services for students at one-stop support centers, intrusive follow-up and advocacy services, financial literacy, professional development & training, information campaign to promote collaborative services with partner organizations, and wrap-around academic, social, emotion and basic needs services. The institution is confident that the DACC Thrive project provides the support and resources needed to impact institutional outcomes which lead to the sustainability of project components well beyond the grant cycle.

**Northwest-Shoals Community College (AL)**

**ABSTRACT**

Northwest-Shoals Community College (NW-SCC) is a comprehensive community college located in northwest Alabama. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS). In the fall 2022, over 4000 students enrolled in credit classes. Of this number, 56% were limited income; 50% were first generation; 25% were aged 20+ and enrolling in college for the first time; 56% were aged 20+, enrolling in college for the first time, and on Pell grant; 30% were aged 20+, enrolling in college for the first time, on Pell Grant, and First Generation; 19% were parents or pregnant, or providing care to another person; 5% reported having a disability documented in the ADA office; and 9% received a GED prior to enrolling. The NW-SCC service area is rural with a population density of only 74.5 persons per square mile, a household median income of $45,136, and almost 16% (15.7%) of its population living below the poverty level.

The NW-SCC Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) Project will serve 300 students enrolled or accepted for enrollment at NW-SCC who satisfy at least one of the following subgroups of underserved students: (a) a student of color, (b) a student who is a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe, (c) a student with a disability, (d) a student experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, (e) a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) student, (f) a student formerly in foster care, (g) a pregnant, parenting, or caregiving student, (h) a student who is the first in their family attending postsecondary education, (i) a student enrolling in or seeking to enroll in postsecondary education for the first time at the age of 20 or older, (j) a student who is enrolled in or is seeking to enroll in postsecondary education who is eligible for a Pell grant.

Students accepted into the ARC Project will receive services designed to address their individual Basic Need insecurities regarding Food, Mental Health, Housing, Transportation, Childcare, and Technology and decrease their time to degree completion. A comprehensive project is planned and will include 7 services: 1) mentoring and coaching, 2) professional counseling and referrals, 3) a food pantry to provide healthy snacks and meals, 4) connections to housing and utility options, 5) transportation assistance, 6) connections to childcare resources, and (7) access to technology and assistance with course software.

To address the CPP, the project will provide services addressing the four main factors reported as essential to the college meeting students’ basic needs and contributing to their long- term success: 1) campus resources; 2) effective methods for assessing needs; 3) leadership support; and 4) partnerships. The ARC will be in a central campus location where students will be assessed, provided services, and connected with partnering organizations to provide services outside the capabilities of the Project budget. (Hodara, M., Riggs, S., & Brey, L. (2021). Early Findings from ECMC Foundation’s Basic Needs Initiative).

NW-SCC is strongly committed to the success of the ARC Project and sees it as an integral part of the College and the local community. The College pledges to provide the ARC Project with a dedicated space in close proximity to Admissions, Financial Aid, Advising, and Student Success Offices.

Northwest-Shoals Community College seeks funding in the amount of $950,000, over a 3-year period, for the ARC Project to provide Basic Needs for 300 underserved NW-SCC students to remain enrolled through completion of their academic program. 

**University of North Carolina at Pembroke (NC)**

**ABSTRACT**

With a unique heritage and diverse student body, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke works to create systemic change and provide access and support to students who are members of historically underrepresented and underserved communities. UNC Pembroke enrolls more than 8,000 students and is a federally designated Minority-Serving Institution. As one of the most diverse regional universities in the South, UNC Pembroke’s student body is not only ethnically diverse but is also 49% Pell-eligible, 29% non-traditional aged, and 22% first generation; thus, the institution provides pathways to higher education for students and their families that have historically been underserved.

***Project BN2 will advance systemic change for UNC Pembroke students in identified subgroups by addressing basic need deficits that create obstacles to their academic success and career readiness.***This approach will, consequently, empower and equip the students to meet their academic and professional goals while increasing their overall sense of belonging at the university. The project will target underserved students who are sophomores and juniors in one or more of the identified subgroups and provide them with opportunities for paid internships, professional development, direct financial assistance, and enhanced career readiness.

The project includes the following goals: (1) meet students’ immediate financial needs and provide opportunities for career exploration, skill development, and goal achievement through strategic relationships with campus and community partners; (2) provide direct financial assistance and resources to students to increase access to basic needs such as food, childcare, transportation, health care, technology, emergency services, and/or housing; and (3) support student success and career readiness by providing educational and development training, resources, and opportunities through campus and community partnerships. During the three-year project, the expected outcomes are to provide a total of 180 students with paid career development experiences/internships, support 150 students with direct financial assistance, connect a minimum of 1,080 students to community support services, increase access to on- campus resources by 30%, and facilitate educational learning opportunities for a minimum of 900 students. The project’s anticipated impacts will support students’ enhanced learning, growth and development, increased sense of belonging, and increased support, retention, and matriculation toward degree completion.

***Project BN2 will strengthen cross-agency coordination and community engagement to advance systemic change (Absolute Priority 1) and promote equity in student access to educational resources and opportunities (Absolute Priority 2). The project will also provide support for services that meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of students by fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion (Competitive Priority).***

# 

**Northeast State Community College (TN)**

**ABSTRACT**

Northeast State Community College (NeSCC) is a comprehensive two-year community college serving a population of almost 400,000 in a five county area (Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington) of northeast Tennessee. NeSCC is one of thirteen community colleges under the governance of the Tennessee Board of Regents, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Northeast State offers more than forty Associate of Arts (A.A) and Associate of Science (A.S.) degree majors for students desiring transfer to a four-year institution. The College also offers 34 Associate in Applied Sciences (A.A.S.) degree majors and 23 Certificate programs for students planning to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. NeSCC also provides continuing education and community service programs for professional growth and personal enrichment.

NeSCC’s Fall 2022 unduplicated headcount enrollment is 5,100, with approximately 50.4% attending full-time. The student body is 53% female and 47% male. The racial composition of the student body reflects the demographics of the region, with 86% White, 12% Students of Color, and 2% of unknown race/ethnicity.

NeSCC requests **$943,755**in FIPSE Basic Needs funds to cultivate a Culture of Caring by: (1) increasing organizational capacity and scaling up existing investments in student services infrastructure; (2) investing in large-scale, recurring professional development to cultivate cultural change relative to institutional understanding and response to students’ basic needs insecurity; and 3) filling gaps in the College’s ability to directly respond to students’ financial and mental health challenges.

The Strengthening Student Outreach and Engagement project will address the two **Absolute Priorities**identified in the Notice Inviting Applications: (1) Strengthening Cross-Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change and (2) Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities. Northeast State will also address the **Competitive Preference Priority**: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs by creating a positive, inclusive, and identity-safe climate, with a focus on underserved students.

NeSCC anticipates that the proposed strategies will (1) institutionalize a culture of proactive responsiveness to student help-seeking; (2) generate systemic improvement in institutional capacity to serve Pell-eligible and underserved students; (3) decrease the overall level of basic needs insecurity among NeSCC students; (4) increase retention rates of Pell-eligible students; and (5) increase graduation rates of Pell-eligible students.

# SUNY Old Westbury (NY)

**ABSTRACT**

SUNY Old Westbury (OW) is a public, primarily undergraduate Minority Serving and Hispanic Serving Institution. A member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Old Westbury is the most diverse campus among SUNY’s colleges and universities. In fall 2020, the College served 4,659 undergraduate students. More than half, 60%, of all undergraduate students receive PELL grants. These will be the primary students served by the grant.

The Panther Resource Center (PRC) project satisfies the Absolute Priorities 1 and 2 and addresses the Competitive Preference Priority. The OW PRC is designed to take a systemic evidence-based approach to improving the outcomes for underserved students by coordinating with federal, state, and local agencies to support basic need security and establishing community- based partnerships to meet the well-being need of students and their families.

To achieve these objectives, OW will implement the following primary activities: (1) Single Stop Model to provide case management, needs assessment and connect students to available resources for themselves and their families; (2) Expansion of food pantry to address food insecurity; (3) Establish Advancing Wellness Initiative for outreach and support of mental, emotional, and social student wellness; (4) Establish Transportation Fund. Additionally, we will support underserved students with proactive academic advising and career professional development.

The PRC will have an immediate and long-term impact on the student population. (1) The number of students served by the PRC will be 350 in Year 1, 650 in Year 2, and 950 in Year 3; (2) Student persistence resulting from any direct engagement with PRC will increase by 7% over three years; and (3) Student degree completion will increase 3%.

**Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (KS)**

**ABSTRACT**

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), a multi-site technical community college (**Absolute Priority 2)**will strengthen cross-agency coordination and community engagement using an evidence-based approach to improving outcomes for underserved students (**Absolute Priority 1)**in Kansas’ largest city. WSU Tech will coordinate with community-based organizations to address multiple basic needs which are impacting underserved students’ ability to persist in their academic program through to graduation, whether a certificate program or associates degree. The most common challenges currently identified by students are food assistance, mental health care, housing, and childcare.

The primary goal of the “Student Success through Basic Needs Support" (Basic Needs) Program will be to increase the stability of underserved students so they can successfully graduate from WSU Tech and provide an opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families. In order to achieve that goal, WSU Tech seeks to achieve the following objectives: (1) Increase access to basic need services; (2) Decrease the number and percentage of students who express unmet basic need challenges on the annual needs assessment survey; (3) Increase program retention for those receiving basic need support; and (4) Increase program completion for those receiving basic need support.

This program will create a basic needs center at three of its largest campuses and staff the center with student success coaches and peer navigators. These staff will address the immediate needs of students who walk into the basic needs center with food and warm handoff community referrals. They will also conduct needs assessments with these students to determine if there are any other resources or benefit programs which could support them while they are completing their academic program. The Basic Needs Program will also proactively identify students who could benefit from benefit from services and either be unaware of their availability or nervous about asking for assistance. This will include developing a comprehensive needs assessment tool based upon risk factors noted during the application and financial aid processes built upon tools already developed by The Hope Center.

This program is based on the evidence-based Single Stop approach listed in What Works Clearinghouse which showed moderate evidence of greater persistence among low-income students of color attending community colleges, many of whom were first-generation students, when they were connected to support services like government benefits, mental health counseling, and resources for housing, food, and childcare (**Competitive Priority)**. Other research supports the program’s use of peer navigators to reduce stigma and increase engagement.

**Broward College (FL)**

# 

**ABSTRACT**

Through this Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students (BNPS) Program, Broward College, along with more than 27 of its partners, proposes to implement the ***Navigating for Equity and Transformation (NET) project.***

Access to education, notably higher education, has never been at a more critical stage in our society. The protests against racial injustices that occurred throughout our country in 2020 made clear the need to seriously address racial inequities in all areas, including education. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic pulled back the curtain on existing inequities in postsecondary success and completion. Entering the fall 2022 term, higher education institutions across the country are still reeling from the pandemic. Enrollment is down, particularly among students most at risk of basic needs insecurity. Students who were already struggling with food and housing insecurity; lacked transportation, childcare or mental health services; or did not have access to technology or broadband were hit heaviest by the pandemic. Most of these students were low-income and/or minority students. This is why meeting the basic needs of postsecondary students is crucial to helping them not only pursue education and training, but to “even the playing field” so that they can obtain a credential that will offer them successful entry into the workforce and allow them to engage and continue their education even in the most challenging environment.

The NET Project will be managed by a Project Coordinator and supported by Broward College staff, Broward College departments, and community partners. In collaboration with a number of community agencies, the project will address multiple basic needs barriers to postsecondary degree attainment for participants of the project.

The overall goal of the NET project is to increase equitable opportunities by removing barriers for low-income students and students of color and to position postsecondary completion as a strategy to increase pathways out of poverty and workforce success. The NET project will leverage the resources and systems already in place through Broward UP for BC students through the use of case managers (Navigators) to assess the need of students beyond their academic needs in order to match students experiencing a lack of basic needs with BC services and/or partner services that can alleviate these needs.

The objectives of the NET project that will be met through the proposed activities are: **Objective 1**. Annually serve at least 500 underserved students by the NET project. Students will be served in the following basic need areas - food insecurity, housing insecurity, transportation, health and mental health, childcare, technology/broadband, and other basic needs.

**Objective 2**. The annual persistence rate of the students served by the NET project will increase by 10% by the end of the project period.

**Objective 3**. The annual rate of degree or certificate completion at Broward College for all students served by the NET project will increase by 5% by the end of the project period.

By implementing the proposed activities and meeting the objectives of the project, the NET project will have the following **outcomes**: directly serve and fulfill the basic needs of 1,500 students, increased persistence rate of students served by the NET project, and increased degree or certificate completion of students served by the NET project. Ultimately, the NET project will increase the education attainment for low-income students and students of color, and the social and economic mobility in Broward UP communities.

Broward College will be addressing both Absolute Priorities and the Competitive Preference Priority in this application.

**Cuyahoga Community College (OH)**

**ABSTRACT**

Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C) **Students Basic Needs Support Program**plans to more cohesively address the needs for food assistance; transportation assistance; housing assistance, and assistance during emergency situations through coordination of basic needs resources and services with local, state, regional, federal government agencies and community-based organizations. Tri-C will also address students’ lack of awareness of supports and resources, and undertake actions to help reduce the social stigma associated with requesting assistance, and increase the level of recognition of students’ needs by faculty and staff. 

The College’s project addresses: Absolute Priority 1- Strengthening Cross-Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change; Absolute Priority 2- Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities; and the Competitive Preference Priority - Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs. 

The intended outcomes are to achieve a: (1) 10 percent increase in # of students that will be served by a service supported by the grant.(2) Four percent increase in the annual persistence rate for students served by grant supported services. Four percent increase in the annual rate of degree or certificate completion for students served by any service supported by grant.(4) Seven percent reduction in students’ basic needs insecurity measured by the Trellis survey and evaluation before and after grant implementation (5) 10 percent increase in awareness of Food Pantry/ basic needs resources measured by Trellis Survey and other methods. The project will hire 2 Benefits Navigators to work with Benefits Access/Project GO!, create a *Needs Met?*outreach campaign, including a video and an “app”; provides funds to support Campus Food Pantries and the Student Emergency Fund; and train faculty/staff to understand basic needs insecurity.

**Pensacola State College (FL)**

**ABSTRACT**

Pensacola State College (PSC), a predominantly associate degree and certificate-granting member institution of the Florida College System, proposes a Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program which establishes a sustainable Pirates CARE Student Resource Center by coordinating existing internal College services and resources and improves collaboration with external community service providers. This one-stop resource center will allow students to access on- and off-campus resources for documented needs such as housing; food; healthcare; mental health/wellbeing; transportation; technology; academic support services; academic, career, and personal counseling; childcare; legal services; and income tax preparation. The Pirates CARE Student Resource Center will accomplish this with dedicated staffing, establishing a Community Partner Council of public and non-profit organizations also serving the target area, outreach to students, professional development for faculty and staff, and assessment and evaluation. The minimum number of students planned to be served by this project is 2,250.

This proposal is based on extensive data collection and analysis which has identified gaps in services and the lack of a centralized place for students to access information related to basic needs services and resources. Students, already experiencing the stress of experiencing the lack of basic needs, are further challenged in accessing these resources. The PSC Healthy Minds Study (2020) revealed 96% of respondents were stressed about their current financial situation. In a spring 2022 survey, 60% of PSC student respondents indicated that they had financial need impacting their continued enrollment. Over the last five years, student referrals for assistance have increased by 294%, exceeding the current capacity for services.

Based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness – physical, spiritual, emotional, occupational, intellectual, environmental, financial, and social – PSC will provide holistic support and basic needs to students, especially first-generation, underrepresented, and disadvantaged groups, which face additional challenges to completing the postsecondary education necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. The Pirates CARE Student Resource Center will consolidate existing campus resources and services and provide connections to off- campus service providers, increasing accessibility through extended hours, campus/center satellite locations, and virtual assistance.

Pensacola State College serves Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in the extreme northwestern corner of the Florida Panhandle. Students are enrolled in programs at three campuses and three centers as well as through distance learning programs and literacy centers across the district. The College’s service area contains a high population of diverse ethnic groups that are underserved in employment, have high poverty rates, and low education attainment rates. Pell grants are received by 42% of PSC students and 82% receive some form of financial aid to assist with college-related expenses. Although unemployment is at an all-time low, this target population of students continue to struggle to have access to Basic Needs and complete their education.

Objectives include increasing the retention, graduation, and transfer rates and the academic performance of students served through the project; increasing the number of students actively

 seeking assistance and creating a sustainable Community Partner Council. This project addresses

both **Absolute Priority 1**and **2**, and the **Competitive Preference Priority**.

**Phoenix College (AZ)**

**Abstract**

Phoenix College (PC), established in 1920 is the flagship college of the Maricopa County

Community College District. PC is a learner-centered, comprehensive community college

dedicated to providing affordable, high quality, and accessible education to the diverse

community it serves. The main campus is located in the central business district of Phoenix,

Arizona with nearby satellite campuses dedicated to workforce development, specifically, IT,

allied health, and nursing. PC is classified as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) with a

Hispanic enrollment of 58%. In fall 2021, 65% students were first-generation.

Community colleges play a significant role in the US educational system by offering access to

higher education to students of diverse and underserved backgrounds. Well-positioned at the

frontline of socioeconomic issues, community colleges frequently hold equity-based missions

and values of open access to serve a disproportionate number of students who are low-income,

nontraditional, first-generation, immigrants, and racial/ethnic minorities. PC has a long legacy of

providing accessible, high-quality, and low-cost education and training through diverse

pedagogical approaches and innovative instruction and student services. PC, like other

community colleges, is currently learning to adapt and reimagine what access looks like to

students from underserved backgrounds. Increasingly, institutions of higher education are

acknowledging that students cannot be expected to achieve academic success or personal

well-being until their basic needs are met. Supporting food and housing security on campus have

become crucial priorities for addressing student success, retention, and completion. To address

these priorities, PC is uniquely positioned for a new access agenda that is embedded in

communities, and brings together community organizations, employers, and on- and off-campus

student services.

To help address the housing insecurity and homelessness of PC students, the proposed program

will co-create and pilot an innovative, sustainable, and scalable student housing model at PC to

(1) provide financial support for housing to students utilizing a Rapid Re-Housing, evidence

based model, (2) connect homeless and housing insecure students to long term and permanent

housing, (3) conduct intensive and intrusive career advisement that results in increases to income

compared to prior-to-entry in program, and (4) provide holistic case management to reduce food

insecurity, childcare needs, and transportation barriers. The overall goal and aims of this program

align with the priorities of the grant program to strengthen cross-agency coordination and

community engagement for systemic change, and promote equity in student access to

educational opportunities.

Additionally, **the proposed program meets the competitive preference priority of addressing**

**student social, emotional, and academic needs and career development**. This program also

aligns with the strategic aims of PC to provide personalized and equitable resources and support

needed for students to reach their goals, increase utilization of career services, and maximize

student utilization of community-provided resources to support students in achieving their goals.

Finally, the proposed program will close identified gaps in student services around housing in

order to improve entry to and completion of postsecondary degrees at PC.

**University of Houston-Clear Lake (TX)**

**Abstract**

The University of Houston-Clear Lake, a Hispanic-serving institution, proposes an ambitious three-year basic needs project. This project aims to reduce basic need insecurities that inhibit student academic success by: 

1. Reducing the prevalence of basic needs insecurities at UHCL. 

2. Improving academic outcomes (persistence and graduation rates) among recipients of basic needs assistance. 

3. Transforming campus culture and systems of support for students experiencing basic need insecurities at UHCL. 

The project addresses insecurities related to food, housing, transportation, mental and physical health, and technology. The project leverages existing academic support structures and endeavors to create new strategic partnerships that, combined with direct financial assistance, will promote persistence and degree completion for students experiencing deficiencies with basic needs. In addition to mapping local resources to better serve student needs, the project team will collaborate with area food pantries, healthcare providers, and other agencies to develop strategies for sustaining the best practices of this project long-term.

**University of Houston-Downtown (TX)**

**ABSTRACT**

Established in the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is a federally qualified Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-Serving Institution with approximately 15,000 students, where 73% of students identify as being Hispanic or Black. Most enrolled students do not enroll immediately in the following fall semester after graduation from high school, are non-traditional students with an average age of 27.8, and with 38% of incoming students graduating in the bottom half of their high school. Nine of 10 students are enrolled part-time and come from families in poverty residing in Houston and Harris County. 

University of Houston-Downtown’s Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program will create a Center for Assistance and Student Empowerment (CASE), which will build an evidence base for how the university can get involved in offering students social services supports. Data will be collected through a case management process that connects students to comprehensive resources. Utilizing the *Single Stop Technology*, the project will collect data in determining which community, campus, federal, and state resources students accessed in alleviating barriers to meeting their basic needs. The collection of data will be analyzed to produce key performance indicator reports. 

The delivery of centralized and highly visible services on campus will provide a human-centered approach, which will empower the CASE team to focus on student needs first. The proposed project will implement initiatives that integrate holistic support services through a multi-tiered system of support that centers around students, gains an empathetic understanding of the problem by defining, analyzing, and identifying solutions. 

The proposal is based on a needs assessment tool which lead to the identification of the lack of a centralized area for students to access basic needs information, such as community, state, and federal resources as one of the primary gaps and a weakness in the basic needs services infrastructure. The lack of a one-stop center for assistance and student empowerment (CASE) created barriers to students’ basic needs, which are inherently challenging for underrepresented students in poverty. The Center for Assistance and Student Empowerment, with the implementation of a collaboration and connections approach, will consolidate existing campus-level interventions and supports to increase awareness of and access to resources and services resulting in a more student-ready environment where students capitalize on opportunities to improve lives and experience academic success. 

The project will address both the **absolute priority**and the **competitive preference priority**which addresses and directly supports the social, emotional, and academic needs of underserved students.

**Palm Beach State College (FL)**

**ABSTRACT**

**TITLE**: Palm Beach State College Center for Student Well Being 

**GOAL**: Leverage strong institutional and community commitments, research-based interventions, and adequate funding to provide support initiatives and services that ensure that demographic characteristics (e.g., race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, income, or others) are not predictors of success and that participants are empowered with the skills and knowledge to improve their lives and the lives of their families and communities 

**EXPECTED OUTCOMES**: Project services addressing participant basic needs result in targeted students: 1. Progress through postsecondary education; and 2. Earning Associates and/or Bachelor degrees. 

**CONTRIBUTIONS RELATED TO POLICY AND PRACTICE**. The PBSC Cross-Agency Community Engagement Coalition reflects research supported by the National Institutes of Health that reveals that community organizational structures are important in capitalizing on resources available in deprived locales and contribute to collective community change. This is accomplished through access to and cultivation of supportive sociocultural resources, shared voice, and collective engagement. Based on the NIH’s US Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Strategic Prevention Framework, the CSW project assesses need and expands community capacity and planning; and the implementation and evaluation of effective, culturally appropriate, and sustainable prevention activities. While this framework was originally constructed to address issues of substance abuse, the model is adaptable for addressing any community-wide issue. The CSW project bases its systemic change effort on the five steps of the framework, re-imagining practice and transforming isolated efforts into cohesive action. 

**POPULATION SERVED**: Underserved students, that is a student in postsecondary education in 

one or more of the following subgroups: 

• A student of color. 

• A student with a disability. 

• A student experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. 

• A lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) student. 

• A student formerly in foster care. 

• A pregnant, parenting, or caregiving student. 

• A student who is the first in their family to attend postsecondary education. 

• A student enrolling in postsecondary education for the first time at the age of 20 or older. 

• A student who is eligible for a Pell Grant. 

**PRIMARY ACTIVITIES**: 

• Cross-Agency Community Engagement formation and administrative activities; 

• Outreach to increase student awareness, with a focus on underserved students; 

• Participant, staff, and partner training; 

• Provider services focused on childcare, food, housing, mental/ behavioral health, physical 

health, transportation, and technology; and 

• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions. 

**SUBRECIPIENTS**. None identified at this time.