With LBCC housing in progress, affordable on-campus living finally feels within reach for many students.
As the project takes fruition, a crucial question remains: how can LBCC ensure housing truly serves students who need it the most?
Campus housing becomes a long term investment in student success, providing safety and a secure foundation for learning and needs to have a system in anticipation for incoming students.
The lack of affordable housing has forced students to commute long distances and follow untimely bus schedules, with some choosing to sleep in their car and rely on temporary programs like the Safe Parking Program while trying to earn degrees.
The Safe Parking Program is a lifeline for students experiencing housing insecurity but it’s a short-term solution, not a sustainable one.
The program shows how LBCC recognizes the severity of housing insecurity with students, but sleeping in a car isn’t okay, no matter how “safe” it is promoted to be.
The upcoming student housing project signifies more than just housing. It becomes a representation of stability and student success.
Having campus housing with criteria based on need will give select students a safe and affordable place to pursue their education.
For low-income students, high rent often means choosing between tuition and a home.
For first generation students, financial aid and family support is limited or nonexistent.
To make the project meaningful to students, LBCC should implement an equitable housing system for such students.
This can include income based criteria, proof of participation in aid programs such as EOPS, CalWORKS, Calfresh or student support referrals.
This criteria can also include partnership with the Basic Needs Program to identify students already seeking housing or food assistance.
LBCC can create a trust-centered initiative while pairing housing assistance with a package of housing, rental assistance, academic advising, and meal access.
If LBCC’s goal is to support student success, then the housing project must reflect that mission through equitable access for students who need it the most.
LBCC has the opportunity to set an example for community colleges, showing that education begins with stability.
