Marta Hernandez 1

Marta Hernandez

Professor B. Holly

English 101

29 May 2019

How Homeless College Students can be Help?

How can homeless college students be helped? The institution needs to provide jobs

training and placement to develop their life, so they can find a decent place to live, getting a job

would not only give the students something to do outside of class, but it will also give them a

source of income.

First, 19 percent of jobs are scarce for college students without family resources (Carol

Smith, Seattle University). So, the best way to help homeless college students is to provide them

with free training programs where they can develop their skills and feel more secure about

themselves. They can also make a little money to buy their own things and possibly rent a place

of their own. Helping the students find employment can begin to build that safety net for them, for

example at every institution there is Financial Aid, Cal Grant, EOPs, and other kinds of help that

some institutions are offering at this time, but they need to do some research to be able to find it.

The problem for the youth is that some of their parents do not teach them how to search for a job,

how to be successful in their life to find a better way to live. Sometimes parents do not know how

to become successful and they have a lack of responsibility as parents. After students have finished

their job training they need to find a job placement. According to the Chrysalist organization which

help the homeless University students from USC is not a profit organization (L.A USC) (Gloria

Cheng) a sophomore majoring in health and human sciences from USC Join Educational Project

in L.A 58,000 people experience homelessness. For example of all statistics they search:
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 23 percent homelessness went up 2017 over 2016.

 26 percent increase up folks in RVs or encampments in 2017 over 2016(exclude

Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena)

 29 percent increase in families who are homeless on a given night in 2017 over

2016.

 58 percent number of homeless people between ages of 25-54.

 4,828 Ho many veterans experience homelessness for a given night in 2017.

 14,214 Ho many people were placed in permanent housing in 2016, which is up

over 2015 and 2014 (exclude Glendale, Long Beach and Pasadena)

 17, 53 How many of the chronically homeless are homeless on given night, up from

2016.

These are some statistics of the general homelessness in L.A including many students which may

be the future of this country.

A solution to help college homeless students is to build a special center where they can

came for aid and whatever they need. This place will be in charge of the college homeless student

in their needs and provide resources to help the students to be successful in their education. For

example: Training, Psychological help, job placement. This center can do the same as other centers

and help each other in running the place.

First, the job training is the best suggestion, they must show effort by getting a job. Getting

a job would not only give the students something to do outside of class, but it will also give them

a source of income. From there, three or four students could live together and have a place of their

own. For example: In the Winthrop Street in Cambridge Howard Square the first homeless shelter

was founded in 1983, there are more than 200 volunteers working in there which were student
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from Howard University. They work at the kitchen doing laundry and other office jobs, at night

they sleep in the shelter, and start their day in the morning (Gupton). The homeless students learn

the value of working while able to earn a place to live, things are not just handed to them for

nothing. While there is no immediate cure for student homelessness other big problem is a lack of

information or workshops. Since students are in high school they should offer them the opportunity

for higher education. This will allow them to try to better themselves and not have to rely on the

system for the rest of their lives. Also the lack of information, and no sufficient research about

their problem by the public education system in this country is bad. We need to put more attention

to life in society and not just focus on ourselves (Gupton). The important part of the youth homeless

program is they rescue the future generations of this country. The center will give job training for

the college homeless students who use it.

After the training it is hard for them to get a job because they do not know how to go about

it, or they do not have recommendations or experience so they still need help from institutions to

find jobs. This is another area where the center can help. As well as the center, there are some

companies who are able to help these kind of people to become independent, but some of the

companies do not have trust in these kind of people because they do not have a physical address,

or recommendation. There are institutions which provides job placements, and experts in selecting

the person for the kind of job they are capable to do, and help them with a professional

psychological services not to protect the students, but also the employers. This center can work

with those institutions which provide the college homeless students job placements in order to

succeed.

Third, there are many reasons the homeless students cannot be successful in college,

because they not have a home either they ran away from home, because of physical abuse, mental
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abuse, or sexual abuse, and this somehow it is causing them trauma in their life. These homeless

students are in foster homes. They are looking for a place or someone who can understand them

and guide them in a better way. Sometimes the lack of information on the sources, and a good

guide makes their lives harder, because some of them are shy or they do not know how to handle

the problems in their life. (((((((then, if they are out from their foster home they need to have a

letter to proof them as homeless, if they are run away they afraid to ask for help because in their

mind think they going to return where they belong to abuse family physical or sexual, anxiety,

addictions, or even worse to jail. So that makes it more difficult for them. The center can give the

college4 students a recommendation letter to give them easy way to find a decent place to live.

Also the center can help to find some of the property owner to work with the center and give a low

income place for the students who are register with the center that mean they are interesting in

make their life success.

It is okay the institution help homeless college students, but from where the money will

come from? Will it can from others students and institutions budget? Some people say we should

not helped the homeless students because some them they use the money for their addictions or

other things. Susan Frick quotes: “People assume if you have enough money to afford tuition, you

should have enough money to afford housing and all the associated costs” (Frick). The institution

help the homeless college students because they have proof that they need the help. According to

the law to able to receive the help they must fill a requirements, they could have also lost their

comfortable lives because now a days everything is expensive.

In conclusion, I talked about how to help homeless college students, train them, give them

a psychology help and boost their self-esteem, at the same time find a job placement for every

student who register in the help center. Why does it matter to help? If they train the youth to
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develop job skills and also teach them to survive in life, we should expect the new generation to

help society, which the country can count on. They will defend and help the country’s economy

growth. Homeless college students should be successful if their parents support them or if they

receive help from institutions. Also, providing these students with a job, and whatever is available

at their time of need. There are a few institutions that are available to help. Help is necessary for

everyone in these extreme conditions, because it is dangerous for their lives.

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Works Cited

Frick, Susan. “Invisible Struggles.” University of Central Florida. 2015,

https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/invisible-struggles/

Gupton, Jarrett T. Campus of Opportunity: A Qualitative Analysis of Homeless Students in

Community College. Community College Review, Vol. 45, Issue 3First, 29 March 2017,

https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552117700475

Obradovic, Monica. "Homeless college students seek shelter in extreme cold." UWIRE Text, 6

Feb. 2019, p. 1. Academic OneFile,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A572825148/AONE?u=lavc_main&sid=AONE&xid

=6ae5c3af. Accessed 15 Mar. 2019.

Jarrett Gupton, Ph.D. Challenges Homeless Students Face in Higher Education in Achieving

Educational Equity, Higher Education Social Work

Posted on Fri Nov 11, 2016

https://news.usc.edu/139899/jobs-for-homeless-usc-studsents-help-homelss-get-job-

ready/

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, (USC Homeless Organization off L.A Chysalis) by

Joanna Clay March 30, 2018 http://www.invw.org/2010/09/16/homeless-young-adults-

nee/