Housing Insecurity at UW-Whitewater

Kristen Burton (COBE), Kathy Craney (Career & Leadership Development), Carol Elsen (Library),

Julie Rowehl (Chemistry), Noelle Wilharm (ORSP)

University of Wisconsin – Whitewater

Introduction

Housing insecurity among college students is a nationwide issue

that affects students’ ability to succeed. Our team’s goal was to

articulate the problem, collect data to determine the prevalence of

the problem, locate the necessary resources to alleviate student

homelessness and/or identify and develop resources that do not

currently exist on campus, and streamline access to existing

resources.

In order to facilitate the growth mindset in students, we want the

campus community to be better equipped to support students inside

and outside of the classroom when they are displaced. This will

ultimately lead to increased student success when their basic

needs are being met.

Conclusion & Next Steps

The survey results demonstrate that many UW-Whitewater students

are struggling with housing insecurity, homelessness and other

housing-related concerns.

Next Steps for Project:

• Partner with other campus groups on awareness campaign to help

connect students to available resources

• Share results and consult with campus administration for direction

in addressing the problem

• Work with campus administration to facilitate communication with

local landlords and housing providers about housing insecurity

issues

Demographics of Housing Insecurity

Goals

Raise awareness of the Housing Insecurity Survey to all UW-W

students

Create and distribute housing insecurity survey to all students

Compile and analyze data from the survey

Identify gaps in the service coverage

Design an education campaign and identify campus partners to

help build awareness

Search for alternative funding sources and resources to cover

service gaps

Work with other UW-W departments to update and increase

awareness of the website of resources for students

Continue to partner with the Fostering Student Success group on

our joint student concerns

Other Problems Students Faced in Past Year:

16% have been late in paying or only partially paid

rent/mortgage

14% have been late in paying or only partially paid a heat,

water or electric bill

33% borrowed money from friends or family to pay bills

11% had to move due to financial problems

7% were asked to leave their home by a member of their

household

7% stayed in an abandoned building, a car or other places

not meant for housing for at least one night

14% did not know where they would sleep at night for at least

one night

10% did not know where they would stay during Winterim or

Summer breaks when residence halls were closed

8% have stayed in someone else’s residence hall room when

they did not have anywhere else to stay

4% feel not at all safe or a little bit safe where they live (17%

feel somewhat safe; 79% feel very or extremely safe)

Acknowledgements

Many faculty and staff helped shape our project on housing insecurity

at UW-W. In particular, we’d like to recognize the work of Sarah

Hessenauer, Sarah Duesterbeck, and Lauren Smith in evaluating the

extent and knowledge of housing insecurity on this campus. We would

also like to thank the Fostering Success group which supports UW-W

students who have aged out of foster care.

Background and Definitions

Housing insecurity among college students is a nationwide issue

that affects students’ ability to succeed. In 2012-2013, more than

58,000 students indicated on their Free Application for Federal

Student Aid (FAFSA) applications that they were homeless

(http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/fafsa-survey-report.pdf).

The purpose of the UW-W anonymous survey is to:

1. Determine how many UW-W students experience housing

insecurity/homelessness; and

2. Connect students in need with resources

For the purposes of our survey, housing insecurity was defined as

any of the following:

o Not knowing where you may live, sleep, keep your belongings;

o Being worried about losing/having to change your housing due

to financial, personal, or other difficulties;

o You may even be "housing insecure" if you live in the dorms and

don't know where to stay when they are closed for winter break.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

White or Caucasian

84%

African American or

Black 4%

Hispanic or Latino

7%

All Other 5%

Yes, 24%

Yes, 67%

Yes, 19% Yes, 15%

No, 76%

No, 33%

No, 81% No, 85%

Housing Insecurity by Race/Ethnicity

Yes No

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Freshman 19% Sophomore 15% Junior 23% Senior 43%

Yes, 16%

Yes, 30%Yes, 22%

Yes, 27%

No, 84%

No, 70%No, 78%

No, 73%

Housing Insecurity by Class Year

Yes NoRespondents

UW-W Housing Insecurity Survey

18 question survey, approved by IRB

Emailed to all undergraduate students in

October, 2018

Posters in all public campus buildings

More than 200 respondents completed survey

25% of respondents identified as housing

insecure

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Male 27% Female 72% Transgender 1%

Yes, 20%Yes, 26%

Yes, 33%

No, 80%No, 74%

No, 67%

Housing Insecurity by Gender

Yes NoRespondents

Respondents