Wenatchee Valley College Participates in Survey: Reveals How Many Students Face Housing/Food Insecurity

A study, #RealCollege survey, based on 13,550 students, including Wenatchee Valley College participation, revealed six out of ten community or technical Washington college students face food and housing insecurity. For the survey, 41% of students had faced food insecurity in the prior 30 days and 51% had faced housing insecurity in the last 30 days.

"The study gave us a really good idea of the actual percentages that students are facing here," said Libby Siebens, community relations executive director.

After the staggering percentage of nearly half of students who responded to the study, Siebens noted the campus has incorporated programs to combat this issue. The Knight's Cupboard, an on campus pantry, is open Thursdays and carries nonperishable and hygiene items for students who need to utilize the service.

"Another thing we found out about 40% of our students have experienced housing insecurity in the last year," said Siebens. "One of the ways we're working to help our students is we have an emergency fund called, 'Knights Care Fund'."

Roughly $10,000 from the Knights Care Fund is distributed each year for housing insecurity and other emergencies that crop up for students. The emergency fund is fueled with fundraising and donations, especially Women's Service League of Wenatchee Valley has provided half of the funding over the last year.

The survey was produced out of Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia in fall 2019.