Resources for Students Facing Housing/Financial Insecurity
While many institutions offer options for students to stay on
campus/find associated housing during the winter and summer terms,
many also make this process very difficult. If students face a sudden change in financials,
unsafe home-life, or any other "complex circumstance," the same
resources may not be offered/available.
Whether you're a student needing support, or an educator wishing
to better understand what your students are juggling, I hope you
find something useful here.
Housing
If your college or university doesn't offer feasible housing, for whatever reason, here are a few avenues to consider:First, look for any alumni groups on facebook. For example, Wellesley students ought to check out "Housing - for the Wellesley College Community." In many cases, alumni will be extremely kind and empathetic towards your situation, and may offer pointers you didn't consider otherwise. When you post in one of these groups, be as honest and transparent as you feel comfortable to, so peoeple clearly understand what you may need.
If you have enough money to sublet in your surrounding area, Facebook marketplace is a great place to start. However, if you are looking for lower-cost living, you need to be wary of common scams. Here are a few red flags to watch for:
- Seller accounts made in the current/last year, especially within the first six months of the year. They'll usually have a few photos posted on their personal page, all around the same date, and may seem to have some friends... it's usually a decoy to make them seem like a real active page.
- If someone asks you to pay anything before viewing the property in-person, they're likely scamming you. Also, if you do visit a property, bring a friend with you for safety purposes.
- In many cases, if a listing description has tons of emojis before each fact about the property, it was auto-generated for a scam. This is not always the case, but be a little cautious with these overly enthusiastic listings.
Finally, don't try to "hide" the situation from people you trust in your community. There's nothing shameful about needing help now and then, and any good friend/mentor would rather see you safe and housed than struggling and keeping everything in. I've been extremely lucky to find great friends during my time in undergrad, and we've only grown closer after spending multiple summers living together.
Financial Matters
First, you should understand that "financial distress" can take many different forms, especially in "complex/unusual" cases. Remaining grateful for what you have and maintaining a positive attitude will be an asset when getting through a tough patch... but ultimately won't pay the bills. If you are struggling to pay for: groceries, medical expenses, transportation, rent, clothes, etc., you deserve support, regardless of your past. Be honest with others about where you're at, accept help if it's offered, and do your best to push against any shame that ultimately comes hand-in-hand with these situations. Now, onto more "tangible" advice:If you are a financially independent student, your school will likely have special resources set aside for you. If you haven't already, reach out to the financial aid office to learn more about options, and ask other students if they know any more niche tips, as opportunities vary from place-to-place. If anyone has questions about Wellesley, I'm happy to direct you to some knowledgeable peoeple I know! Also, when you describe this status to people outside higher education, know that they may view "financial independence" as wealthy label, so instead you might say: "I support myself financially," or something similar.
Also, any person who's been looking for a job in the past year knows how tough the market is right now; even getting retail and food-service positions can be difficult. If you desperately need employment to cover living expenses, here are some things to know, as someone who's been looking in the past few months:
- For quick employment, both the jobs and gigs boards on Craigslist can be great. Of coruse, exercise caution when replying to posts: avoiding "overly enthusiatic" descriptions, flashy pictures without text descriptions, and requests for personal information with little explanation.
- Walking into small stores/other establishments doesn't always work like it did 20 years ago... but it still might. if you see a sign that says "hiring" or "help wanted," it never hurts to politely ask an employee inside. They may direct you to apply online, and if your status is still pending after a week or more, doesn't hurt ot call and check-in. The systems are fairly overwhelmed with applications these days, and you may be a great applicant who simply got lost in the pile for a bit.
- Similar to my note for housing, you should definitely check if your school has any alumni hiring groups/general support groups. Then, make an honest post explaining where you're at and the type of work you'd be willing to do. In many cases, people will be eager to offer something to help you get by.
- Ask trusted professors or other mentors if they know of any local families looking for tutors. If you found my website, I'm guessing you have academic aspirations of some sort, and you deserve to be paid for some of the expertise you've gained! They may alert you to local summer camps that are hiring, after school programs for younger students, or local email boards to post a notice on.
NOTICE: This page will be continually updated as I both learn more myself and hear from others. I'm currently trying to gather information about scholarships/grants that students can access in these complex situations, so if anyone knows of some, or has other thoughts to share, please reach out using one of the emails listed below!
Contact:
Email 1: ef110@wellesley.edu
(general & professional)
Email 2: elsesfrankel@gmail.com
(social media & blog inquiries)