The California State University Chancellor’s Office has initiated a study that will provide a better understanding of college students who experience housing instability and food insecurity across all 23 CSU campuses.

The Chancellor’s Office commissioned CSU Long Beach Social Work Professor Rashida Crutchfield to conduct the study, which will ultimately help the CSU and other institutions increase student success by identifying and serving students experiencing food and housing instability.

“Students should be focused on their education – but this focus is hard to maintain for those who do not know where they will sleep or when they will eat their next meal,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “The work of Professor Crutchfield’s team is essential to empower many of our students to reach their full potential.”

The outcome of the one-year project will be a report summarizing current services offered to homeless and food-insecure students for all 23 CSU campuses. The report will also include data-driven recommendations for best practices for CSU campuses.

The number of students who experience food insecurity is largely undocumented and unknown. In addition, the number of homeless students is underreported because many students are either unaware of the status designation or are unwilling to identify themselves as homeless.

“Students who experience homelessness are not required to identify themselves, and because of the stigma associated with homelessness, they purposefully hide their circumstances from those who might be able to help them,” Crutchfield said. “There is a need for systems to be put in place at universities across the nation to find these students.”

The CSU educates the most ethnically, economically and socially diverse student body in the nation. In 2013-14, nearly 338,000 CSU students received financial aid and 77 percent of undergraduate financial aid recipients had their tuition fees fully covered. One-third of CSU’s undergraduates are first in their families to attend college and nearly half are Pell recipients.

A number of CSU campuses currently offer resources for students experiencing food and housing instability, including:

* Chico State’s Hungry Wildcat Program has helped more than 100 students avoid hunger since its inception in 2012. Faculty and staff donate nonperishable foods and cash for “veggie bucks,” which students can exchange for fresh vegetables through the campus’ Organic Vegetable Project.

* CSU Dominguez Hills offers a Food Pantry and Hot Meal Card program for students in need that are referred by staff and faculty. The pantry allows students to shop for canned and boxed food, all donated by the campus community, and the Hot Meal Card provides $40 for use in the campus food court.

* In November, Fresno State launched the Food Security Project. The most visible initiative is a Student Cupboard, which provides current students with access to healthy food and hygiene items. In its first 51 distribution days, the cupboard had 916 visitors and food supplied to them served approximately 3,000 individuals.

* Humboldt State’s Food Cupboard provides a variety of healthy food to students with immediate need. For students seeking long-term help, a Campus CalFresh program administers the government-funded food assistance benefits and helps connect students to other campus and community resources.

* Cal State Long Beach’s Student Emergency Intervention Program provides meals, short-term temporary housing and emergency funds for unexpected expenses that could delay a student’s academic progress. In a component of the program, students can donate meals from their campus food plans to other students who show financial need.

* Sacramento State’s Hornet Proud Fund is available to reimburse up to $1,500 of actual expenses for full-time, undergraduate students experiencing financial crises due to an unanticipated event. It’s available through fundraising efforts of students, for students. The campus is also moving toward the implementation of a food pantry, which is expected to open fall 2015.

* Cal State San Bernardino’s The DEN (Delivering Emergency Nourishment) food pantry is led by a community-university advisory board, staffed by student volunteers, and stocked through the generosity of the campus community and a partnership with a local food pantry.

* Cal Poly San Luis Obispo created Cal Poly Cares to target support for students with essential needs in housing, personal care, academic supplies, professional clothing and emergency grants. Cal Poly also has a donor-funded food pantry and meal voucher program.

About the California State University

The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, more than 460,000 students and 47,000 faculty and staff. Created in 1961, the CSU awards more than 100,000 exceptional degrees annually and this spring will be celebrating the milestone of reaching 3 Million alumni.