Homelessness is a rising concern among students and young adults in Dane County as pandemic-era assistance expires and leadership does not adequately address the issue, according to the Cap Times.
In Dane County schools, over 2,400 students did not have access to stable housing in the last school year, according to the Cap Times. This number continues to increase from previous years. Advocates attribute the rise to the end of COVID-era federal aid that assists social services and the lack of attention to the root causes of homelessness among students.
While the McKinney-Vento Act requires public schools to provide assistance for homeless students through free meal programs and fee waivers, the act simply mandates this rather than providing funding. School districts must find funding through the state and local government as well as grants and donations to adequately assist students, according to the Cap Times.
Even if schools secure funding, identifying and assisting students can prove challenging due to varying definitions of homelessness. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines homelessness as lacking a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime shelter.
This definition can leave kids and young adults behind, as it causes emphasis to be placed on those already receiving certain services or using shelters while ignoring unique strategies used by students and young people. Almost 75% of homeless students in Dane County live with others or move between houses, according to the Cap Times.
This leaves students unidentifiable within the system, but it does not make them invisible. While school district staff may try to help these students, their limited funding and capacity makes this an issue that must be solved through multiple community avenues. But, the city continues to ignore the prevalence of this type of homelessness and does not provide the resources necessary to inform young people of their options.
While public school districts may face a lack of resources to fully assist homeless students, UW does not. The university has the capacity to make a difference for homeless students, but leadership continues to ignore the issue or deflect responsibility onto the individual rather than the system itself.
UW certainly faces a challenge when dealing with homelessness on campus as college students experience homelessness differently than adults or children. But, the challenge of addressing homelessness is minimal compared to the challenges homeless students face on a daily basis.
There are currently about 1.5 million homeless students in the U.S. and many of them either live out of their cars, sleep in campus buildings or “couchsurf” between friends’ apartments. This happens for a variety of reasons, including grants and scholarships not covering rising costs of living in college towns like Madison, feeling unsafe in their housing, having roommate issues or being in between leases, according to Educated and Unhoused.
While students may be able to disguise their situation from classmates or professors, administration is aware of the issue and actively chooses to ignore it. Between situations with UW police or even stories, such as an article written for Glamour Magazine in 2016 featuring a homeless UW student, university leaders dismissed evidence of cases as a series of unique circumstances rather than a systemic issue, according to Educated and Unhoused.
UW does provide certain resources to students such as Basic Needs Support and certain partnerships. UW partners with OLIV apartments to offer some students reduced price housing, however, these efforts do not go far enough to support students, according to Educated and Unhoused.
Some may rebut that those who cannot afford housing while in school simply should not attend college. But, this argument counters the fundamental equalizing power of education if it can only be provided for the rich. For many, college provides a promise of higher pay in the future that justifies the difficulties one must endure while in school.
UW should continue to encourage students from low income backgrounds to attend college and should continue to provide scholarships and grants to fund education, but doing so requires a commitment from the university to support a student’s full existence while attending college. The administration cannot simply claim that equal opportunity is given to students from all income backgrounds while ignoring the rising issue of homelessness and its root causes.
Rent and groceries continue to grow more expensive, and the solution can not be single faceted. Community organizations, city government and UW each have a unique responsibility in caring for student wellbeing and ensuring students’ basic needs are met. The city government may be responsible for providing connections to resources, but the resource organizations must be prepared to support college students, requiring collaboration with the university.
Students should not have to worry about where they are sleeping that night or getting their next meal when they study for a midterm or go for a walk with friends. Instead, the university needs to look homeless students in the eyes and commit to working toward collaborative solutions today.
