The center surveyed nearly 5,000 students from 14 private and public HBCUs in fall 2020 and found that 46 percent of students lacked sufficient food a month prior to when the survey was taken. More than half of the students, 55 percent, said they struggled to maintain safe, affordable housing, and 20 percent said they were homeless in the last year. Certain students, including those who are female, LGBTQ or low income, and those who are parents, wrestled with food and housing insecurity at higher rates than their peers.
The report found that COVID-19 had widespread and disruptive economic and mental health effects on HBCU students and their families. More than half the students surveyed knew a friend or family member who had been infected with the virus, and nearly a quarter of students reported that a friend or family member died. Meanwhile, HBCU students lost their jobs at higher rates than students at other kinds of minority-serving institutions and predominantly Black community colleges. About 57 percent of HBCU students working part-time and 40 percent of students working full-time had lost their jobs by fall 2020.
Harry Williams, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a membership organization representing public HBCUs, noted that more than 75 percent of HBCU students require federal financial aid to pay for college. He said caring for sick family members and wrestling with economic loss took a mental toll on students who were already struggling financially.
Williams worries these challenges will deter students from staying in college.
One “encouraging” finding of the report was that many HBCU students benefited from federal COVID-19 relief funds. More than two-thirds of the students experiencing food and housing insecurity were aware of the emergency aid. Fewer than half of those who knew about the funds applied for emergency grants and 38 percent received grants, though students didn’t necessarily have to apply to receive the support. Many HBCU students put the grant money toward food, transportation and housing, and over two-thirds said the funds helped them afford educational materials, reduce stress and stay enrolled.
If i'm hungry, the last thing I’m worried about is Physics
“There are a lot of students who I know personally, and even in my own experience, that experience food insecurity on a daily basis,” said William Teasley, a senior at NC A&T. Teasley said he has firsthand knowledge of the hardships of being unable to afford food and he sees college administrators increasingly acknowledging the problem and saying in effect that “we’re going to provide you with a great education, however, in order to utilize that education, you’re going to need housing, you’re going to need adequate food, you’re going to need the mental health resources … because if I’m hungry, the last thing I’m worried about is Physics II.”
On top of the lingering affects of the pandemic and food insecurity students are now having to deal with inflation and rising gas prices.