LOS ANGELES — The housing crisis throughout California remains an issue for many, including college students.
A report done by USC finds that the state is home to the highest population of homeless students.
Some college students can’t keep up with the sky high cost of rent in LA, with a studio apartment costing around $1,700 per month, according to real estate website Zillow. For others, like 18-year-old Alya Mirari, leaving what they say is a bad situation, resulted in housing insecurity.
“I faced a lot of insecurity at home,” said Mirari. “Since unfortunately I went through a lot of problems, personal problems and abuse.”
Mirari is a transgender woman who was without a home during the spring. She was able to get back on her feet when she enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College and became a part of their basic needs program.
“As a transgender woman, for me it was very sweet of them to support me,” she said. “And respect me with my decisions, and who I am as a human being.”
Many other college students across the state are battling housing insecurity. Data from the State Legislative Office shows that 25% of community college students, 11% of Cal State students and 8% of UC students reported experiencing homelessness.
“We do see that our students are getting the maximum amount of financial aid,” said Juan Castellanos, who is the basic needs coordinator, and counselor at LAVC. “But still, tuition, plus books, plus academic supplies, plus rent, plus hygiene and everything else that is accompanied with that is also causing a barrier to our students.”
The average annual cost of tuition for a student in the state is roughly $25,000, according the Education Data Initiative. Students could receive anywhere from $1,000 to $9,000 a year in grants from the federal and state governments. While that helps, the remainder of the tuition and cost of necessity makes it challenging for many students.
“These one-time funds and these grants are a good start, but we need something that’s a little more stable,” Castellanos said. “Something that is a continuous support for our student populations.”
With the data showing that community college students are more likely to face homelessness, more could be done to provide some stability.
Studies show that students who are having their basic needs met are more likely to maintain high attendance records, complete their degrees and have a higher GPA.
“When the basic needs are met, like transportation, food and housing, our students do much better,” said David Vela, a trustee with the Los Angeles Community College District. “Our community college system is trying to cover those needs and trying to assist our students in securing housing.”
Mirari is one of those students who has secured housing. She feels good being in her place and has the support she feels she needs to continue working and finishing her degree in philosophy. She also has ambition to pay it forward.
“I really just want to do the same thing for other people, too, that are young, older, no matter what, I don’t think there is an excuse,” Mirari said. “I think that everybody should be welcome to have a second opportunity in life.”
