Student Housing
Due to the current housing crisis and factors like the inability of financial aid to meet the full cost of attendance, community college students face increasing pressure to complete degree and certification programs in volatile rental markets defined by inventory shortages and rising rents. California finds itself falling deeper into a housing crisis that disproportionately impacts the state’s roughly 1.8 million community college students, who bear one of the worst rental burdens in the country.
In 2021-22, the state legislature appropriated $2 billion in funding to establish the Higher Education Student Housing Program grant, providing $500 million in 2021-22, $750 million in 2022-23, and $750 million in 2023-24 to be split between the UC, CSU and CCC systems. These funds are earmarked for student housing planning and construction grants. This grant provides up to 100% of construction costs for affordable student housing projects at community colleges in three rounds of grant awards: round one in October 2021, round two in January 2023 and round three in July 2023.
SOCCCD received a planning grant for both colleges during the first round of funding. The Board of Trustees engaged the Scion Group to develop a Feasibility Study to identify student housing needs at both colleges, assist with the completion of construction grant applications and for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis needed at IVC. CEQA generally requires state and local government agencies to inform the public and decision makers about the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects, and to reduce those environmental impacts to the extent feasible.
IVC hosted a HyFlex Student Housing Town Hall on February 21, to provide an overview of:
- The District’s Feasibility Study
- Higher Education Student Housing Program-SB169 requirements
- Present results from the IVC student survey to assess interest and preferred housing options for SB169 qualified low-income students
- Review next steps in our college’s review and design process prior to submitting a construction grant application in July of 2023.
The Town Hall was engaging and provided an opportunity to ask questions as well as pose alternative solutions for us to explore. If you were unable to participate in the Town Hall, I encourage you to access the recorded session.
Given the highly competitive nature of these construction grants it behooves us as a college community to explore short and long-term solutions to address affordable student housing. IVC will continue to develop and enhance a holistic array of basic needs support services. Be on the lookout for additional information as we develop a competitive construction grant application.
Best,
John