Over the past few years community and technical colleges students have spoken up and shared their struggles with basic needs and the impact it is having on their ability to succeed in college. It is clear that a variety of basic needs insecurity are having a negative impact on students, and Covid-19 has only exacerbated the barriers that basic needs insecurity creates.

The Hope Center #RealCollege survey of nearly 10,000 students, at twenty eight Minnesota colleges and universities, found that 37% of student respondents were food insecure in the past 30 days. The survey also found that 48% of respondents were housing insecure and 18% homeless, in the previous year.

Read the Hope Center #RealCollege Minnesota Report.

In order to ensure that every student has the support they need to be successful, colleges need to look beyond traditional academic and student supports. That’s why we are working to develop a basic needs policy for Minnesota State. But we need your help!

Tell Your Story

The best and easiest way to help us make change is to share your story on how basic needs has impacted you in college. We need your story to help amplify the student voice to colleges, the Minnesota State system office, and the Minnesota State Legislature.

Tell your story today!