My Renter Center Experience and the Unfinished Work Which Lies Ahead
It has been my privilege to fulfill my second-year social work practicum requirements with the ASUM Renter Center. As the first practicum student to serve with the Renter Center, I took steps to ensure that the student renters we serve had access to a wide array of services geared toward their overall wellbeing. Adequate housing is an essential part of the successful student experience, and more work will have to be done in the months ahead to build the kind of referral networks, community awareness, and safety measures necessary to sustain a safely housed student body.
I came into my position as a practicum student on the heels of a #RealCollege Survey released in 2019 which revealed that 28% of UM students had experienced homelessness within the past year. The survey also revealed that 55% of students had experienced housing insecurity. The Real College Survey released just recently revealed some slight improvement in these numbers. Only 23% of students reported experiencing homelessness and 44% experienced housing insecurity. Still, these numbers are too high and rank well above national averages in both categories.
Aware of the insecurity that many student renters faced, we tailored our outreach efforts and service and referral strategies to focus on more vulnerable students struggling to make ends meet. We partnered with campus agencies like SARC and the Mental Health Department at the Curry Health Center to provide mutual referrals for students encountering issues related to housing insecurity and homelessness. We spoke with UM Housing to discuss where many students seem to fall between the cracks when transitioning to living off-campus following their first year. We also partnered with community agencies in Missoula dedicated to addressing the housing issues of transitional age youth. We participated in the Point-in-Time Count on campus last month to survey students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. We also specifically looked into cases of transgender students who encounter instances of discrimination and social rejection in seeking to secure adequate housing.
Despite our best efforts and intentions, the percentage of students experiencing homelessness who sought out housing benefits last year was only 3%. In an effort to indicate what would have to prevail for more students to seek out housing assistance, we are working with the Internal Review Board at the University of Montana to conduct our own survey of students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Our hope is to identify what specific incidences, conditions, and/or policies trigger bouts with homelessness and housing insecurity and what can be done to alleviate stigmas around these issues so more students feel empowered to seek out and receive help. The Renter Center stands ready to analyze this data and act upon the conclusion contained therein.
Unfortunately, I will spend the last month and a half of my practicum with the Renter Center working remotely from home to supply services and referrals to student renters while additionally completing and administering our survey of students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in consultation with the Internal Review Board. The coronavirus outbreak has irrevocably changed all of our lives for the foreseeable future and altered the way we interact with and serve one another. I will miss meeting with the students who found their way into our office in need of help. I will also miss working with people on campus and within the Missoula community dedicated ameliorating the conditions of those experiencing homelessness. I have faith that in the days and months ahead we will gain traction on these issues once the threat of infection had dissipated. Until then, I am focusing the remainder of my time as a practicum student to ensure we come out stronger than before once that time comes.
