New WSAC Report on Basic Needs Security Among College Students Highlights Former Foster Youth
Administered in the Fall of 2022 students at 39 colleges and universities across the state participated in a survey administered by Western Washington University in partnership with the Washington Student Achievement Council. Over 9,700 students responded to the survey, with broad representation: 45.3% students of color, 39.5% low-income students, and 51.8% first-generation students. The survey revealed some stark conditions for Washington college students:
- Nearly half of all students surveyed (49.4%) reported experiencing basic needs insecurity, and those rates were similar among respondents in 2-year and 4-year institutions.
- 4 out of 10 students (38.3%) reported experiencing food insecurity in the previous 30 days
- 3 out of 10 students (34.2%) reported experiencing housing insecurity, and 1 out of 10 (11.3%) reported experiencing homelessness in the previous 12 months.
The report also highlighted the basic needs insecurity experienced by youth who had experienced foster care. This population had the highest rates of basic needs insecurity among all the subpopulations included in the study.
- 67.5% experienced food insecurity
- 58.9% experienced housing insecurity
- 23/7% experienced homelessness
Why basic needs data?
Sufficient food, safe and adequate housing, access to childcare and healthcare, and other basic needs are foundational for postsecondary students’ stability, as well as success in their educational goals – yet unmet basic needs represent an increasing barrier to students’ success and Washington’s state goal of 70% postsecondary attainment. Recent research from The Hope Center at Temple University1 shows that basic needs barriers are exacerbated by our current economic and public health crises and are impacting a growing population of students, particularly students of color and students with low incomes. Washington has made some strides in recent years toward increasing awareness and state support of students’ basic needs but has lacked state and regional information to drive larger-scale policies, programs, and investments to address the attainment barriers associated with basic needs insecurity. State and regional data on unmet basic needs can help Washington more effectively tackle basic needs barriers to postsecondary attainment by:
- Increasing awareness of the true scale of basic needs insecurity, particularly in communities and education sectors where it may be “invisible” or counter to popular perception.
- Pointing to disparate impacts in particular student populations through the lenses of student status, race/ethnicity, veteran, or employment status, etc.
- Serving as an advocacy tool for data-driven solutions on campus, regional, and state levels
More information can be found in the Executive Summary and Findings Report
2023.BasicNeedsSummary.pdf (wa.gov)
2023.BasicNeedsReport.pdf (wa.gov)
