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The Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has named Tacoma Housing Authority and ������’s College Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) as one of the “”

Started in 2014, the THA-������ CHAP provides rental assistance for up to 150 ������ students per year who experience homelessness or who are at serious risk of homelessness. Most students in the program are parents. The program supports them with rental assistance for up to three years or until graduation, whichever comes first. To qualify, they must demonstrate adequate progress toward a degree. The joint program accepts applications each year, and when accepted, students receive on-campus support to ensure they successfully find housing and are on track with college. The program also extends to ������ students who begin their studies while in prison, and who come to campus to continue their studies. Most are mothers reuniting with children, and often, face the toughest housing challenges. This partnership supports some of the most vulnerable students in our community, and its results have been positive for the students and the community.

Read here about how this program supported one of ������’s students, Robin Ross.

BACKGROUND OF CHAP

The ������ general student population, in comparison to the student population at other colleges, is older, more likely to be the first in the family to attend college, more likely to be low-income, more likely to be working and more likely to be parents. ������ welcomes these students warmly. A ������ degree is transformational in their lives and is a major milestone to adult prosperity.

Yet a growing number of enrolled ������ students are homeless. In 2014, ������ surveyed its students. At the time, 100 students reported that they were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Students experiencing homelessness are much less likely to finish college.

“A college can offer wonderful programs and support services, but if students don’t have a place to go home to at night, chances are they won’t be finishing their programs,” said Mary Chikwinya, ������ Vice President for Student Affairs. “CHAP gives students who are among the most likely to drop out a way to stay and finish.”

That data prompted the ������ and THA partnership. They began with a pilot cohort of 47 homeless ������ students, 76 percent of whom were parents. THA provided them with rental assistance. ������ provided the on-campus support. ������ and THA then tracked metrics for the next two years for the cohort and for another 100 homeless students who applied for assistance but did not fit in the cohort. The results were very encouraging:

● Retention and Graduation Rates: 60 % of pilot cohort students graduated or remained enrolled; in comparison only 16 % of the other homeless or near-homeless students remained enrolled in school.

● Grade Point Average The cohort students earned an average 3.05 GPA, higher than the overall ������ GPA of 2.97.

The CHAP is one of fifteen initiatives in . This project seeks to spend housing dollars, not just to house people, but also to get two other things done: to help them succeed as “parents, students, wage earners and builders of assets”; and to help public schools and colleges, like ������, educate low-income students.

SCALING –UP CHAP

These metrics from the initial cohort encouraged THA and ������ to expand the program. In 2016, the imperative to expand became critical. In that year, the University of Wisconsin HOPE Lab surveyed ������ students about their basic needs. This was part of a national survey of community college students. See, (Wisconsin HOPE LAB 2017) That study found 27 percent of ������ students reported an experience of homelessness in the 12 months prior to answering the survey; 69 percent reported an experience within that time of serious housing instability, such as eviction for nonpayment of rent.

In response to this data and the alarming picture of what ������ students face, THA and ������ scaled up CHAP. The CHAP now pays to house 150 homeless or near homeless ������ students each year, most of whom are parents. More research will continue. Principal Investigator Sara Goldrick-Rab of Temple University will conduct a third party evaluation of CHAP, funded by the Kresge Foundation.

“This partnership with ������ not only houses needy families but does so in a way that helps them get a college degree,” said Michael Mirra, THA Executive Director. “In that way it promotes their lasting success and prosperity, and that of their children. It also helps ������ succeed at its critical educational mission. This partnership with ������ is a very good use of a THA housing dollar.”

NOTE: The program model presumes that THA’s rental assistance will allow these ������ students to find housing in reasonable proximity of the campus. That is getting harder to do in Tacoma’s new rental market, one of the tightest in the nation. In response, THA is purchasing apartments and properties around the ������ campus.

About ������

Since opening its doors in 1965, ������ has provided a high-quality, affordable education to more than 500,000 people. Serving Tacoma, Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula, online students and the women’s prisons, ������ educates about 13,000 students annually. Many ������ students are the first in their families to attend college. 58 percent receive financial aid, 13 percent have children, and 48 percent work while attending school. 100 percent committed to student success, ������ continually finds innovative ways to help students. Since launching its Open Educational Resources initiative in 2011, ������ has saved students collectively more than $5 million on textbooks. Designated an Achieving the Dream Leader College, ������ provides a model for other schools seeking to engage students and boost completion rates. ������ is also one of 67 colleges selected nationally to participate in the Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell pilot program, providing access to education for incarcerated individuals. Designated as Military Friendly College®, ������ is proud to serve Pierce County’s military community. In fall 2018, the college will open a food pantry on campus to support students experiencing food insecurity.

About Tacoma Housing Authority

Established in 1940, Tacoma Housing Authority provides high-quality, stable and sustainable housing and supportive services to people in need. It does this in ways that help them prosper and help our communities develop equitably. THA develops and manages real estate and provides rental housing. In partnership with thousands of private landlords, it helps families pay the rent in the private rental market. It delivers supportive services to help families succeed as “tenants, parents, students, wage earners and builders of assets who can live without assistance”. THA seeks to do its work in ways that help our community be an “attractive place to live, work, attend school, shop and play,” and that help Tacoma be “safe, vibrant, prosperous, attractive and just.” For more information about THA and its work, especially its Education Project, go to www.tacomahousing.org.