From: Truth-Out
Thursday, 26 May 2016 00:00
By Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout | Report
(Image: Lauren Walker / Truthout)
When the College Cost Reduction and Access Act took effect in 2009,
neither lawmakers nor school administrators had any idea how many
college students would check the box on the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) -- the document that determines eligibility for
Pell grants, subsidized loans and work-study awards that help students
pay for college or vocational training -- to indicate that they were
homeless.
At last tabulation, the number was 58,000, a small percentage of the
20.2 million students presently enrolled in both undergraduate and
graduate study. Nonetheless, school counselors and advocates believe the
number is starkly inaccurate and represents a mere fraction of
university students who actually lack a permanent home.
Shirley Fan-Chan, director of U-ACCESS at the University of
Massachusetts Boston, provides on-campus support to students who are
experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. "Most students think of
homelessness as being on the street, sleeping in doorways, and for the
most part, college students don't do this," she told Truthout. "They
hide out. They may stay in one place for a few days or a week, then move
somewhere else, bouncing from friend to friend with no fixed place to
stay. But they think to themselves, 'Well, this is college. As long as I
have a roof over my head, I'm okay.'" MORE
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