California, marked by inequality and staggering housing prices, nearly 20% of community college students report experiencing homelessness.

Some of these are either couchsurfing or sleeping in their cars. Some Community Colleges around Southern California area are allowing students to sleep in their cars, and in some cases, parking areas are being allocated specifically, so they can park their cars and use the security and WiFi.

Housing insecurity is a problem on college campuses across the US, but it’s particularly problematic in California, a state marked by extreme inequality and a staggering housing crisis.

Over the past decade, academic research documenting the extent of hunger and homelessness among college students has driven a transformation in how schools approach the problem, as researchers have highlighted how “hunger and homelessness routinely undermine students’ very ability to learn”.  

Long Beach Community College announcement that it would allow students to sleep in the parking lot sparked a wave of media attention, including news vans outside the parking garage, and colleges across the country reached out for more information about how thy may replicate the program. This initiative is causing a wave of support by the community but are we doing enough? we should be aiming higher, starting with shelters, giving a proper and decent place to sleep to these students, and hopefully, someday affordable dorms or housing for low-income earners.

Reference: The Guardian