Dear colleagues:
The California State University (CSU) system recently released a groundbreaking study on experiences of food and housing insecurity, including homelessness, among CSU students.
Phase 1 of the CSU Chancellor’s Office study of basic needs was released in 2016. That study focused on housing security and very low food security for students, primarily from the perspectives of staff, faculty, and administrators.
Phase 2 is a mixed-methods study (N=24,537) that explored experiences of students with homelessness, low and very low food security. A survey was distributed to a census sample across 23 CSU campuses with an average participation rate of 5.76% (n=24,324). The sample was largely representative of the general student body. Student participants volunteered and were selected for focus groups and interviews based on reported levels of homelessness and food insecurity from the survey. Interview and focus group data were collected at 11 CSU campuses with students (n=213) who identified as either or both housing and food insecure on the quantitative survey.
This is the most comprehensive mixed-methods study of university students’ unmet basic needs and the relationship to student success ever completed within a 4-year higher education system. Findings from this study are groundbreaking and provide not only the prevalence of university student homelessness and food insecurity, but living examples from students about what they surmount in order to succeed at their dreams of earning a higher education degree.
Best regards,
Christina Dukes, Federal Liaison
National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) | 
