Recognizing the reality that thousands of Delaware college students struggle with housing insecurity, lawmakers have filed legislation to help undergraduate college and university students experiencing homelessness.
Surveys have found that 10% of University Delaware students and 13% of Delaware Technical Community College have been homeless at some point, while Delaware State University has provided assistance to thousands of housing insecure students in recent years.
Sponsored by House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst, House Bill 240 would create the Korey Thompson Student Emergency Housing Assistance Fund, which would provide assistance to housing insecure undergraduate students attending a college or university in Delaware. Under the bill, the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) would monitor all money deposited in the fund, including administering $90,000 of appropriated funds for fiscal 2022.
DSHA would develop the eligibility criteria, and an application process that would be exclusive to students attending school in the state.
“It costs about $7,000 per student for housing, and I’m working to create a steady funding stream to make sure there’s enough for this population of students,” said Rep. Longhurst, prime bill sponsor. “No student should ever feel the burden of financial stress from emergencies that affect their ability to attend classes. The issue of housing insecurity in college is real, and HB 240 addresses it head-on.”
In 2020, the National Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice assessed the basic needs of 200,000 students from 130 two-year colleges and 72 four-year colleges and universities. The center determined 48% were affected by housing insecurity and 14% were affected by homelessness.