Guide to Assessing Basic Needs Insecurity in Higher Education

Posted by Hope Center for College Community and Justice on November 26, 2019

Basic needs security is a critical component of collegiate success, one discounted by high school grades and standardized test scores. If a student has not eaten or slept enough the night before a class or an exam, they can have difficulty mastering the material or performing well.a There is growing evidence that food and housing insecurity affect the well-being of thousands of undergraduates across the country, hurting their chances to complete degrees. Our most recent study surveyed 86,000 students at both two- and four-year colleges and found widespread basic needs insecurity. Fourty-two percent were food insecure, 46% were housing insecure, and 12% were homeless. At four-year colleges, 36% were food insecure, 36% were housing insecure, and 9% were homeless.b Other studies have yielded similar results.

Assessing food and housing insecurity among students may help answer questions such as:

1. How many students could benefit from additional resources like campus food pantries, emergency aid, or crisis housing?

2. Which types of students ought to be flagged for additional outreach by early alert systems?

3. To what extent should the security of students’ basic needs become a campus priority? This guide outlines how to conduct your own survey to assess basic needs security at your institution

Find the guide here: https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RealCollege-survey-guide-layout-FINAL.pdf