U.S. Congresswoman Nanette Barragan and members of LBCC’s Board of Trustees celebrated the school receiving $1 million in federal funding to build housing for low income students in North Long Beach on Dec. 2.
The complex, which will have 36 units, aims to provide low income students with affordable housing and access to essential resources.
“What we know is that a large portion of our students are struggling with housing insecurity, and one of the biggest barriers to staying in school is affordable housing,” LBCC Superintendent-President Mike Munoz said.
According to Munoz, the housing units will be vastly different from traditional dormitories, which will benefit students with dependents.
“If you think of the traditional dorm setting, you have two people sharing a room, and there’s usually a bathroom in a long hallway. These units will be more of the traditional apartment style where you have the restroom and the kitchen contained within the unit,” Munoz said.
Another critical element to this project is ensuring rent prices are affordable for low income students.
“We’re not working with a private entity, we’re not outsourcing this. We really get to set what the rent prices are. We want to make sure that whatever housing options we provide to students would be below market value, which would hopefully incentivise them into our units,” Munoz said.
The location of the unit in North Long Beach will also give students the opportunity to access free educational resources.
“The new units will be within walking distance of the state of the art North Long Beach Learning Center, which we just opened months ago,” Board of Trustees President Vivian Malauulu said.
The importance of the new housing unit was made abundantly clear by the Trustees in attendance.
“It’s a big day for us. I’ve been on the Board almost seven years now, and I’ve been working on this project for seven years,” Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk said.
A poster displays concept art of the exterior of the new student housing complex that will be built in North Long Beach at an event held on Dec. 2. (Ryenne Jolliff)
“Most community colleges don’t provide housing. It’s something you see at four year universities. Our Board of Trustees made the bold decision to prioritize affordable student housing, and I think we’re gonna continue to make ourselves a destination college,” Munoz said.
Malauulu expressed her gratitude to Barragan, who played a critical role in securing this funding for LBCC.
“It’s so important to have advocates at the city, county, state and federal level. It’s so important to have friends who care about Long Beach City College, who strive to provide opportunities for our students,” Malauulu said.
Barragan spoke to the small audience in attendance about the importance of education being accessible to all.
“I’ve heard so many students say that they can’t afford to go to college. You can’t afford not to go. Students should not have to choose between being able to afford textbooks, housing, or transportation,” Barragan said.
Barragan also addressed concerns regarding president elect Donald Trump’s recent comments about wanting to dismantle the Department of Education.
“Education is going to be under attack,” said Barragan. “We don’t know what the next several years will look like. We don’t know if these federally funded projects will be available during the next Congress.”
Despite this, Barragan remained positive about the project and the impact it will have on the community.
“I’m more proud than ever that we got this across the finish line. In today’s day and age, every day is a good day to celebrate,” Barragan said.
According to Malauulu, there is no official date for construction to start, but hopes the Trustees will announce one by the end of the year.