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New York

Programs tackle housing crisis for New York college students

Housing insecurity a leading cause for negative academic outcomes

Stressed student and dorm
(Illustration by The Real Deal with Getty)

The lack of affordable and available housing affects a frequently overlooked cohort: college students.

But two pilot programs primarily funded by the nonprofit housing group Trinity Church Wall Street — one in collaboration with the Borough of Manhattan Community College — are providing housing to up to 76 students in New York City for up to three years, the New York Times reported.

The program will house 36 college students in a seven-story rental building in Queens. Another 40 students will be provided dorm-like housing in Harlem, the outlet reported.

The cost of housing a student in the Queens building is $25,000 to $30,000 per year, which is far less than the $52,000 it cost a nonprofit to house one adult in a shelter.

The program is just one small way of tackling a widespread problem in New York and beyond.

A 2019 survey revealed 14 percent of City University of New York students were recently homeless, according to the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, the New York Times reported. More than 50 percent of those surveyed said they were concerned about running out of food before they had the resources to buy more.

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Securing lower-cost housing is critical to students’ success, according to a HUD study, which found that those who struggle with housing security are less likely to graduate or have less successful academic outcomes.

Obtaining a degree can be life altering. Within five years of graduation, City University of New York students with a B.A. earned over 40 percent more than the median earnings of students without college degrees, the Times reported, citing data from the Office of the New York City Comptroller.

Some New York students reported they were sleeping in overnight hotels, couch surfing or living in shelters, the Times reported.

“I feel eternally blessed and grateful that I actually have a space where I can study,” Medgar Evers freshman Isabella Marie Zaldaña, who is living in one of the subsidized apartments, said.

New York isn’t the only city facing a housing crisis for students. In Philadelphia, West Chester University students recently protested high rental prices, chanting “I can’t go home, I have no home.”

— Ted Glanzer