03/30/2022
Before the pandemic, an average of 14% of all community college students were housing insecure, meaning that they did not have a stable and consistent place to stay night after night. People who are housing insecure might sleep in cars, in shelters, on couches, in tents, or on sidewalks. As per the 2018 Bellevue College Needs Report (sponsored by the United Way), 10.69% of student respondents claimed that housing insecurity got in the way of their academics "Frequently," "Fairly Often," or "Occasionally." If this sample is representative of our college community, that means that 1 in every 10 students - pre-pandemic - were housing insecure.
More often than not, students do not want to disclose their housing insecurity. And on the Eastside and in the Snoqualmie Valley, homelessness is generally hidden or pushed to Seattle. Housing insecurity often pairs with food insecurity, lack of technological access, challenges with obtaining childcare, and more. All these can distract from or make impossible success in academic studies.
Housing Insecurity can affect anyone; there are many avenues into homelessness. Youth, Veteran, and Indigenous students are highly likely to experience homelessness, and yet many within the BC community may not recognize it in their students.
To learn about the issue of housing insecurity, faculty and staff joined the RISE Learning Institute in its 2022 RISE Community Immersion, through which they dove into an intense, 2-day long program to better understand the issue and commit to actions that foster a more open and safe campus community for housing insecure students and colleagues. They met with non-profits and government agencies in the community, listened and participated, reflected, and even brought the topics home to family conversations. They challenged their own assumptions and supported each other in group learning.
Cheers to Christa Jech, Heath Ray Hayden, Jenn Pang, Justyce B. Wright, Kris Van D**e, Nancy Emery, Tessa Cornish, Tim Wellman, and Ty Saxon for committing to this experience. They represent the Bellevue College Library, Science and Math Institute at Bellevue College, BC Benefits Hub, Bellevue College Workforce Education, English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education, Economics, and Biology.
Thank you to the following individuals, non-profit, and government agencies for taking time off from their busy schedules to meet with us. Your expertise, experience, story-telling, and frank truth-telling impacted us all. You made us more well-informed, empathetic, and considerate people. We at RISE hopes that Bellevue College will continue to partner with you going forward.
Be:Seattle
Chief Seattle Club
Congregations For The Homeless
King County Regional Homelessness Authority,
Low Income Housing Institute
Real Change News
Scofflaw Mitigation Project (Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness)
Y Social Impact Center (YMCA of Greater Seattle)
YWCA Supportive Services for Veteran Families (YWCA of Seattle-King County-Snohomish County)
Also, thank you to the The Seattle Stand Down, FOB Hope, Chris Lovings, Sound Transit, and others for your advice, support, and resources. And a thanks to Cheeky Cafe for its delicious lunch.
Finally, a HUGE shout out to Dr. Consuelo Grier, Beabe Akpojovwo, Jewell Evans, and the Bellevue College Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for your support and co-sponsorship, without which none of this would have been possible. And thank you to Sapan Parekh for organizing the event.
For those of you uncertain how to create a safe space for your housing insecure students and colleagues, or if you are interested in resources or a safe space for yourself, don't hesitate to reach out to any of the participants listed above, as well as to any of these community-based organizations. You can also visit the Benefits Hub or make an appointment with the Bellevue College Counseling Center, both located in the U Building. If you would like a copy of Real Change's fantastic Emerald City Resource Guide, through Real Change, please contact Sapan Parekh. (You can also find it here: https://www.realchangenews.org/emerald-city-resource-guide)
Lastly, please join RISE and the participants for a discussion of the experience and of housing insecurity on Tuesday, April 19, 12-1pm. This Chat & Chew is organized by the Bellevue College Social Justice Center. Also, visit https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/rise/faculty/ to keep your eyes on what's next with the RISE Learning Institute, including future Immersions.
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