Today, The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, along with the Association of Community College Trustees, Jobs for the Future, and the Institute for College Access and Success, led 112 organizations representing a diverse coalition of advocates, students, institutions of higher education, national and state higher education associations, researchers, and service providers, calling on the Biden-Harris Administration to use all regulatory and sub-regulatory tools at its disposal to improve the persistence and completion of students in education and training programs by addressing the ongoing crisis of food insecurity and hunger in higher education.
Despite the fact that federal data show that nearly 4 million undergraduate students experience food insecurity, very few students are able to access the supports that can help them afford and access consistent, nutritious food. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that two-thirds of students who are likely eligible for SNAP are not receiving benefits. Further, nearly 6-in-10 students who are both food-insecure and likely eligible for SNAP are still not receiving benefits—demonstrating the poor targeting of the program’s restrictions and demonstrating the need for improved outreach and guidance to eligible students and households.
In particular, we ask the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education to issue guidance, remove administrative burdens, enhance data sharing, and enact rulemaking that simplifying access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among eligible students, and improves the ability of colleges to meet students' basic needs.