Through funding from the Joyce Foundation, The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs partnered with The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) and the Michigan Community College Association to assemble a task force to better understand basic needs insecurity is affecting Michigan's college students. The task force, which held its inaugural convening in March 2024, will look at how issues differ across regions and campuses, what interventions are helping, and identifying policy opportunities so that financial insecurity is not a barrier to student’s’ pursuit of educational goals, including completion of a degree or credential.
The Hope Center is helping to:
Identify and convene a taskforce and advisory council representing higher education, state agencies, community organizations, and policymakers
Develop, solicit input, and craft recommend policies and actions in the areas of food insecurity, housing insecurities, health and wellness, and digital equity.
Present and summarize research on basic needs and ensure recommendations meet state needs in urban and rural settings and across different types of populations
Inventory current practices at Michigan colleges and identify gaps and solutions in the higher education ecosystem that the state can learn from.
Identify and share approaches taken in other states and needed adaptations for Michigan to meet student basic needs.
Produce a report for the state on recommendations for intervention and policy opportunities.