Housing Insecurity:

North Seattle College

Aresia Smith and Yarelin Cantu

Student Development Administration, Seattle University

SDAD 5590: American Community College

Dr. Monique Cribbs

March 6, 2023
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Housing Insecurity

Introduction

In the year of 2023, the world has changed in many different ways that we would not

have thought five years ago. During the Coronavirus pandemic, we were forced to stay at home

for the safety of our community and ourselves. In turn, we worked from home, socialized from

home, and learned at home. Imagine going through the pandemic with no place to call home.

Many people, particularly students, faced this hardship, among many other things. While the

pandemic is over, many students still face this same hardship and are learning to deal with it on

their own. Housing insecurity is a difficult obstacle that is traumatic, stressful, and needs to be

addressed on all college campus. In this paper, we will discuss what is housing insecurity, its

effects to the student and their academic success, who is most effected, resources at community

colleges and North Seattle College, and areas of improvement.

What is Housing Insecurity?

Housing insecurity can be seen and measured in different ways. Another way of stating

this is that housing insecurity exists on a continuum. There are different dimensions to housing

insecurity. Broton & Goldrick-Rab (2018) state three dimensions of housing insecurity. The first

dimension of housing insecurity is unaffordability. Unaffordability is defined as having

difficulties or the inability of making rent and utilities payments in full. The second dimension of

housing insecurity is instability. Instability is characterized by having multiple moves per year or

moving in with others to afford rent. The most extreme dimension of housing insecurity is

homelessness. Homelessness is defined as “an individual’s lack of a fixed, regular, and adequate

nighttime residence” (Broton & Goldrick-Rab, 2018, pg 122). Broton & Goldrick-Rab (2018)

also emphasize that staying in shelters, abandoned buildings, cars or thrown out or evicted
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without a place to stay at night is still considered homelessness. Lastly, an important note to

recognize is that those who are experiencing housing insecurity are also likely experiencing food

insecurity, as well. Fyall et al. (2019) state that there is a correlation between food and housing

insecurity.

Who is affected?

Housing insecurity can affect anyone, but Broton & Goldrick-Rab (2016) have found that

young adults tend to be at risk for housing insecurity. This is due to a lack of rental history,

savings for a security deposit, or someone to act as a co-signer. Specifically, university and

community college students are more at risk. Broton & Goldrick-Rab (2018) state that one third

of community college students experienced a form of housing insecurity. Most research in the

area is focused mainly on four-year institutions, therefore information focusing on community

college students is low.

Those most affected my housing insecurity are people of color. Specifically, Wood et al

(2017) states that African American and Southeast Asians students are more at risk. Men of color

are also more likely to experience housing insecurity because of placing familial responsibilities

ahead of their own needs (Wood et al., 2017). In our interview with Maura Nakamichi at North

Seattle College, she also stated that she feels that men are more common in her line of work. She

believes this is because they feel safer living outside or in their car than shelters would be. We

will talk more about our interview in a later section. McNair et al. (2018) also states that

LGBTQ, non-binary gender, and those formerly in foster care are also more likely to be housing

insecure.

Income is also a determinant of housing insecurity. Most community college students

come from low to moderate income families (Broton & Goldrick-Rab, 2018). In turn, most
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students are federal work study and Pell grant eligible. McNair et al. (2018) also state that work

study programs are usually underfunded and poorly advocated. Work study jobs often do not pay

enough for students to only have one job. The Pell Grant funding has also declined in the last

fifteen years and often does not cover the full cost of tuition (McNair et al., 2018). These social

safety net programs that were used to help students in the past do not anymore and in turn create

basic needs insecurity.

Academic Success Impact

Students enroll in community college for numerous reasons, but ultimately it is to expand

career options for themselves and their families. We want students to be successful in their

educational journey and it is important that students have their basic needs met. According to

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Broton & Goldrick-Rab (2018) state that basic needs are

necessary to be met in order for higher learning to occur. Housing insecurity falls into the lower

tier of the Maslow’s Hierarchy; therefore students cannot continue up the pyramid towards self-

actualization. In turn, students will make the executive decisions about what is needed in order to

try and meet those basic needs. Broton & Goldrick-Rab (2016) describes things that students “go

without” to make ends meet. Some of those things being cutting back on social activities,

changing eating habits, borrowing money, increasing time spent working, and many other things.

When students engage in this behavior, they often lose focus on what is considered healthy or

make sacrifices that can ultimately be harmful to themselves.

Basic needs insecurity and housing insecurity also effects student’s academically, as well.

McNair et al. (2018) report higher rates of class absence and study sessions, not participating in

extracurricular activities, not buying book and dropping classes. Hallett & Freas (2018)

correlates homelessness with low proficiency in math and english. In response to these academic
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difficulties, students experiencing housing insecurity may feel disconnected from peers and

create a sense of isolation on campus. This can lead to emotional stress to addition to the

physical stress their body is going through (Hallett & Freas, 2018).

Community Colleges Resources

Community Colleges throughout the country have begun adapted services that provide

support to their student’s challenged by meeting their basic needs. From our research, we learned

about a few ways higher education has moved forward in acknowledging and assisting students.

Broton et. al (2016) stated that when an institution works closely with partnerships from their

community, the resources they are able to provide their students strengthens their community,

through partnerships with apartment units, social services programs, and community based

nonprofits are some ways expressed to help support students struggling to meet their basic needs.

As we learned, community colleges are intended to serve the community and identifying

students' needs is an essential aspect of their establishment.

Tacoma Community College provides a housing assistance program for students seeking

support with housing, students must be full time and at serious risk of homelessness (Broton et

al., 2016). The University of Washington (UW) Campuses conducted a study in 2018, in which

they agree that insecurity of basic needs impacts student retention. Given their findings they plan

on supporting students facing housing insecurity by reevaluating their housing cost access and

dining services (Fyall et al, 2019). At San Diego Mesa College, the Mesa College Associated

Student Government has established a homeless outreach student transition (HOST) program to

collect resources to help provide to students through dinners and basic needs supplies. Additional

ways San Diego Mesa College students are supported in meeting their basic needs is through a

food pantry and clothing closet as well as information on the CALFresh service.
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Specific ways community colleges are supporting students facing housing insecurity is

through raising awareness, implementing campus interventions, reducing the cost, and

implementing organized strategies (Wood et. al., 2017). Amarillo College supports its students

through an Advocacy and Resource Center Model (ARC) which stays away from screening

students to determine their eligibility on needs based assistance. The resources ARC provides

include emergency aid and assistance based programs depending on their needs. Amarillo

College received a grant from the US Department of Education to support students failing to

academically succeed. ARC is open to all students, however an outreach system is in place to

connect with students at higher risk of failing. From this data we were also able to learn about

how 40% of students experiencing basic needs insecurity do not access support given to the lack

of knowledge related to such resources. (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2021).

North Seattle College

For the purpose of this assignment, we were able to meet with Maura Nakamichi who

serves as the Benefits HUB Manager at North Seattle College, her main focus is food insecurity

but works closely with all needs based services on campus. Maura’s background as a

professional and in education is in social work and has experience supporting students of all

ages. North Seattle College was recently awarded a grant (could not find the name) which

allowed the hiring of a housing specialist on campus, Shannon Thoams. Shannon and Maura are

both fairly new to their roles and work closely together in supporting students' needs. Maura

shared outreach is usually done in classrooms, tabling at resource fairs, however a lot of the

times their focus is assisting the students they already have given the large number of students

who are referred to their services.

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Through our conversation with Maura, we learned about a few ways North Seattle

college approaches students facing housing insecurity. One way housing insecurity is approached

is through a collaboration program with King County, The United Way Benefits Hub, which was

established to support students struggling with financial and basic needs. This program provides

one-on-one support and helps students find a resource that best fits their circumstance. This

provides students an opportunity to connect with someone to explain their circumstance and

connect them with a resource that will best fit their needs. The United Benefits Hub and North

Seattle College works closely with Neighborhood House, a short-term assistance program

established to help support students struggling with an eviction, serving as a homelessness

prevention and rental assistance service. Maura shared how during the pandemic funds were

impacted causing a dip in funds this year which has had an impact on the number of students

they are able to support. Although Neighborhood House is not a North Seattle College program

on its own, its partnership with North Seattle College is very strong in that it has created space

near campus for students only.

The United Benefits Hub supports students in many aspects as we learned from Maura,

an additional way it supports students with housing insecurity is assistance programs like Service

Enriched Housing (SEH) and emergency grants that support students with their housing

circumstances. Maura explained how many students who come in needing financial support due

to unpaid rent bills or increase in rent, can receive support through an emergency fund provided

from the grant previously mentioned. North Seattle College and the United Benefits Hub are able

to hear students' cases and provide support, however one thing to be aware is there is a maximum

amount a student may receive and set as a once-a-year assistance. This form of support is
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intended to strengthen student retention on campus and provide students the support they need to

stay in school.

North Seattle College is aware of the cost of living and the lack in available and

affordable housing in Seattle for students, ways they are combating this is through their

partnership with Neighborhood Housing. Martina Apartments is an example of North Seattle’s

partnership intended to house houseless students. In addition to the Martina Apartments, North

Seattle College has a development plan similar to begin building student housing near campus on

an empty lot of property the school already owns.

Housing assistance programs are pretty accessible to students on campus, Maura shared

their main office is located in the Opportunity Center. This building was explained as housing

several service-based offices like job searching resources and social services office. This center

is intended to help students easily access need-based services, like food, housing, and

employment. Muara shared the most common housing assistance students come in for is rent

assistance funds, when rent increases, they have noticed an increase in students coming in.

Areas of improvement

To hear how North Seattle College partners with Neighborhood House and establishes

apartment complexes for housing insecure students has left us wondering ways we as

professionals can improve our practice and our institutions approaches on housing insecurity. As

professionals, educating ourselves on this topic and connecting students to the appropriate

resource can impact a student’s ability to continue their education. Whether you are working in a

community college or four-year institution, educating yourself on the resources within the

community intended to support individuals struggling to meet their basic needs can serve as a

powerful tool for a professional who supports students. In The Hope Center article, they state
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that educating the staff and faculty of the institution on the basic needs resources accessible to

students on campus and in the area has benefited many students in receiving the assistance they

need (Goldrick-Rab, et. al, 2021).

Working in housing and residence life, we interact with students in a different capacity

than faculty do, we will both have different interactions with students and at times students will

disclose a challenge to one of us. Being aware of the kinds of resources and support available for

students can allow us to work as a team to ensure these students' needs are met and they are able

to academically succeed on our campus. Maura shared how educating the staff and faculty at

North Seattle has provided them the opportunity to ensure the community is aware of these

resources to help connect students with them. We think as student affairs professionals we

should do our best to be aware of those and not just put the sole pressure on one department to

ensure the community is aware of these resources.

Conclusion

We choose housing insecurity due to our work in Housing and Residence Life at Seattle

University, a small private four-year instruction. We have seen the impacts a student's housing

experience can have on their academic success. We don’t assist students who are facing housing

insecurity in our department, so we wanted to learn about the kind of support community

colleges are able to provide their students struggling to find housing.

Learning about housing insecurity has provided us with a lot of insight on community

colleges and the challenges students face regarding housing in higher education. Understanding

who the community college serves, holds a lot of contexts about the students and community;

learning about the history of community college has provided us with the tools to approach

community colleges from a professional viewpoint. Housing insecurity isn’t something we

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commonly hear or discuss about in four-year institutions and we should. Housing and basic

needs impact college students at different rates and I think the least we can do is one educate

ourselves on the issues and secondly educate ourselves on the resources available in our

communities. Being able to connect students with the resources they need may be the most

powerful thing we as professionals can do for a student struggling to meet their basic needs.

Living in Seattle we have noticed the housing disparities and understand the cost of living in this

area. North Seattle College’s approach to combat housing insecurity has really inspired us to

deepen our understanding on this topic. As we continue in this field, continuing to look for ways

to improve our practice both inside and outside our departments are ways we look forward to

growing.
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References

Broton, K., & Goldrick-Rab, S. (2016). The dark side of college (un) affordability: Food

and housing insecurity in higher education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning,

48(1), 16-25.

Broton, & Goldrick-Rab, S. (2018). Going Without: An Exploration of Food and Housing

Insecurity Among Undergraduates. Educational Researcher, 47(2), 121–133.

Bryant, M., Magisos, A. (2023). Basic Needs Security Among Washington College

Students. Washington Student Achievement Council.

https://northseattle.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/2023.BasicNeedsReport-

January2023.pdf

Fyall, R., Stevens, C., & Manzo, L. (2019). Understanding Housing and Food Insecurity

Among University of Washington Students: An Internal Report. Seattle, WA.

Goldrick-Rab, S., Clark, K., Baker-Smith, C., & Witherspoon, C. (2021). Supporting the

whole community college student: The impact of nudging for basic needs security. The

Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.

Hallett, R. E., & Freas, A. (2018). Community college students’ experiences with

homelessness and housing insecurity. Community College Journal of Research and

Practice, 42(10), 724-739.

McNair, Fincher, M., & Goldrick-Rab, S. (2018). Addressing Community College

Completion Rates by Securing Students’ Basic Needs. New Directions for Community

Colleges, 2018(184), 7–16.

Racial Differences in Food and Housing Insecurity Among Community College Students.

(2016). The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

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Wood, J. L., Harris III, F., & Delgado, N. R. (2017). Struggling to survive–striving to

succeed food and housing insecurities in the community college. San Diego, CA:

Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL).