Across the Great Lakes region, too many students are navigating college alongside food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain. The College Student Basic Needs Network: Great Lakes (CSBN:GL)—launched in partnership with the Urban Institute and philanthropic collaborators—brings together leaders from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin to move beyond emergency responses and toward lasting, structural solutions that support student wellbeing. At the Hope Center, we are proud to be part of this growing community of practice.

Building on a June 2024 convening in Chicago with more than 45 state and student leaders, CSBN:GL is a regional, action-oriented space for collaboration. Through a series of virtual and in-person convenings, participants work together to advance policy change, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, and redesign systems in ways that reduce the incidence of basic needs insecurity—not just respond to it after the fact.

Building on our work with the state of Michigan, Minnesota, and other states throughout the country, The Hope Center is helping participants to leverage data, research, and student voices to identify opportunities to drive reductions in basic need insecurity and enhance student access to supports. Alongside Urban, we are supporting states to track and measure progress over time.

Each participating state is working toward tangible progress—advancing policies, forming new partnerships, and implementing administrative changes that make it easier for students to meet their basic needs. Together, CSBN:GL is building a regional infrastructure for change—one grounded in the belief that when students have what they need to live, they are far better positioned to learn, persist, and thrive.

Want to gather states in your region to make change for basic needs? Looking for support for your state efforts to reduce basic needs insecurity as a barrier to educational attainment in your state? Reach out!