Policy Memo: Addressing the Rising Cost of Living and Student Housing Insecurity Crisis

Student housing insecurity has become a growing crisis nationwide and specifically in the University of California system. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, 5% of the population experience housing insecurity (UC Global Food Initiative). Many of these students receive financial aid and have a job, however, a small number receive public or private assistance (Broton, Goldrick-Rab, 2018). Addressing students’ basic needs must be at the forefront of public universities’ attention. Housing instability at higher education institutions has arisen because of a variety of factors. Specifically, the rising cost of living that comes with attending a four year university.

Housing insecurity encompasses a wide spectrum of living circumstances including spending 30% or more of their paycheck on rent, couch surfing, living in an overcrowded house or car, or having difficulty paying rent month to month (UC Global Food Initiative). Since 1988, the cost of tuition has more than doubled to make up for insufficient state funding. At University of California schools, both on and off campus housing options come at a high cost, “UC students living off campus spent on average $32,468, with $14,015 spent on tuition and fees and the remaining $18,453 spent on living costs…students living on campus on average pay more at $35,283” (LAO Report for 2019–2020 budget).

We are proposing more funding for university campus resources as well as creating a lesion position to help students find and apply to the programs and resources available. Each campus experiences this issue differently, therefore, we are recommending targeted funding for individual schools so that each campus can address their student bodys’ unique needs.

The cost of living in Isla Vista, the main area for off-campus housing for UCSB students, is roughly 49% higher than the nation’s average and 8% higher than the California average (SalaryExpert). Isla Vista is a densely packed college town in which the demand for housing is almost greater than what is available. Roughly, 27,500 people reside in Isla Vista as of 2017 and around 67.3% of the population live below the poverty line (US Census Bureau). With limited affordable housing options students often work to find ways to reduce the cost of rent by living with more housemates than allowed on the terms of their lease or living in a van. These decisions come with safety and security risks.

Effects of Housing Insecurity of Student Livelihood

Additionally, basic needs issues are interrelated. Food security and housing security are often linked, in a survey conducted by the UC regents in January of 2020 they found that students often prioritized housing over food. On a tight budget, low-income students spend the majority of their monthly budget to cover rent leading to limited funds for food. In order to pay for rent students often opt to skip meals and eat less.

Frequent moving or concern about having a safe place to sleep also negatively impacts student health. Studies have found that housing insecurity is correlated with lower class attendance, higher levels of chronic stress, depression, disordered eating, anxiety, and reduced campus involvement (Silva et. al., 2015). The stress that results from experiencing housing insecurity is correlated with a negative impact on school performance.

Existing Policies and New Recommendations

Currently, at the University of California, Santa Barbara there are several initiatives working on the issue of housing security. The university has a specific task force as well as a food bank, emergency grants, loans, and emergency housing options. Students can also get a rental voucher between $25–500 from the Financial Response Team on-campus. Additionally, the California government moved forward with Bill 1482 to cap rent increases below 5% for on-going tenants (CA Government).

In addition to existing measures, there is a need for more funding of existing programs and expanding counseling for students to provide mental health services and budgeting courses. According to the CA Homeless Youth Summary, “some resources are not widely published online because they are underfunded relative to student demand.” Housing insecurity is an issue of accessibility and affordability. Well-funded programs provide the opportunity to help students find options that meet their personal budget. Although loans are a useful resource students are not always able to receive enough support to cover the cost of living (Zein et. al. 2019). Loans can also exacerbate the issue causing students to go into more debt in order to attain a higher education.

Policy Recommendation:

• Increase funding into existing programs at UCSB in order to expand the reach of these resources
• Increase funding for direct help in alleviating some of the cost of rent for those eligible and fund mental health services or a lesion to assist students with finding/applying for the aid they need
• Expand campus housing option to account for the growing demand and increase the affordability of campus options
• Give students who experience homelessness or are at greater risk priority to on-campus housing options at a reduced rate. Maine and tennessee have both implemented policies for this
• Widely distribute the HII Resource List on the University of California, Santa Barbara to raise student awareness on what resources are available and in an effort to de-stigmatize student homelessness

While the UC system already has a number of measures in place, more policies are needed in order to assist students in meeting their housing, food, and security needs. Many of these recommended policies have been implemented in other states including Maine and Tennessee. These policy changes would overtime help to reduce the number of students who experience housing insecurity.

Resources

Broton, Katharine, and Sara Goldrick-Rab. Going Without: An Exploration of Food and Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates. 2018, DOI: 10.3102/0013189X17741303.

CA Government. “Bill Text.” Bill Text — AB-1482 Tenant Protection Act of 2019: Tenancy: Rent Caps., Oct. 2019, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1482.

California Homeless Youth Project. Measuring Our Success: Campus Support for College Students Experiencing Food & Housing Insecurity . Sept. 2019, cahomelessyouth.library.ca.gov/docs/pdf/MeasuringSuccess-CHYP.pdf.

ERI Economic Research Institute. “ERI: Salary Expert — Cost of Living in Isla Vista, California. Updated Feb 2020.” ERI | Salary Expert, www.salaryexpert.com/cost-of-living/united-states/california/isla-vista.

Global Food Initiative: Food and Housing Security at the University of California. 2017, www.ucop.edu/global-food-initiative/_files/food-housing-security.pdf.

Silva, Meghan R., et al. “The Relationship Between Food Security, Housing Stability, and School Performance Among College Students in an Urban University — Meghan R. Silva, Whitney L. Kleinert, A. Victoria Sheppard, Kathryn A. Cantrell, Darren J. Freeman-Coppadge, Elena Tsoy, Tangela Roberts, Melissa Pearrow, 2017.” SAGE Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1521025115621918.

“Student Food and Housing Insecurity at the University of California.” The 2019–20 Budget: Student Food and Housing Insecurity at the University of California, 25 Apr. 2019, lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4014#Proposal.

University of California Santa Barbara. “ Basic Needs Resources.” Housing, food.ucsb.edu/resources/housing.

US Census Bureau. “U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Isla Vista CDP, California.” Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2019, www.census.gov/quickfacts/islavistacdpcalifornia.

Zein, Aseel et. al. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of food insecurity among U.S. college students: a multi-institutional study. BMC Public Health, 19:660. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6943-6