Are you struggling with purchasing your textbooks, or maybe you’re feeling deterred because you don’t have a good computer, or internet? Maybe you just need some food to fuel you. Let Linn-Benton help.
Maybe you need help with utilities, a down payment for an apartment, back rent to keep you from getting evicted, or perhaps you are in need of housing overall.
Perhaps it’s all of these issues. Linn-Benton Community College, as well as Benton and Linn counties have put systems in place to help combat student homelessness.
Times are tough in these uncharted pandemic territories, and it's easy to say that it has affected the world drastically. Service industry closures and limitations have swept through the nation, leaving many faced with unemployment in 2020, and it’s spilling over into 2021. On Dec. 26, the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program ended (via Oregon Employment Department), and now many are left without unemployment compensation as well. While there is another program coming out to extend these benefits, in the meantime, people are left vulnerable.
“Students have probably been hit the hardest, and that’s all the analysis of the Oregon Employment Department, showing that the people making under that $40,000 a year are the people being largely impacted at this time. That's our student demographic. They don’t have that extra income or jobs in the restaurant or service industry,” said Linn-Benton Foundation Coordinator Linnea Everts.
“Our goal is to keep students in school. We want students to stay in school, we want them to stay focused and get the education they’re seeking, despite everything going on in their lives."
Everts is in charge of the scholarship programs as well as stewardship and donor relations, supporting fundraising events, and is responsible for supporting the Roadrunner Resources with emergency funds.
“I haven’t seen a single application (among our emergency fund applicants) where somebody has not mentioned that Covid directly or indirectly affected their life,” said Everts.
Everts encourages all students with any resource barrier to contact resources@linnbenton.edu. From there, a coordinator will be able to help them get the resources they need, whether it’s through various programs within the community, or emergency funds via Linn-Benton.
The emergency funds program at LBCC is there when it’s been determined that outside community resources can’t help. You can apply via the email above, or through Roadrunner Resources at www.linnbenton.edu/student-services/other-resources/roadrunner-resource-center.php.
“I really want students to know that they should apply for scholarships, especially because in this particular instance, there are a number of students who had scholarships to be paid out for winter term, and are no longer here. We need to re-assign that money, and we can’t do that if students don’t apply.”
The next LBCC scholarship program applications open up Feb. 22.
Their online scholarship application allows you to be considered for close to 200 scholarships at once. To check it out and apply, see LBCC Scholarships | LBCC.
LBCC has been working closely with the Community Services Consortium, which is a resource that has been around for more than 40 years now. They provide emergency resources to those in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties, as well as some select services in Polk county. CSC is available to the whole community, not just students! Visit them at https://communityservices.us.
In addition to Roadrunner Resources (which includes various community outreach programs), Jackson Street Youth Services of Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties have reached out to Linn-Benton to let their support be known. In an email from Barbara Brooks, an Education Outreach Worker for Jackson Street Youth Services, stated they are providing support in the following areas:
Educational advocate
Fees for books/testing/sports/clubs/applications/graduations
School supplies
Homeless verification letters for FAFSA
Support with scholarships
FAFSA/college or vocational applications
Academic coaching
Support groups
Basic needs documents (birth certificates, ID, SSID).
For those that are between the ages of 10-24, they will provide snacks and meals, food boxes, laundry and showers at limited sites, and mental health and case management referrals.
“We’re also finding that work study has been affected a lot. A lot of our students depend on work study both at OSU and Linn-Benton, and with the closure that’s gone away," said Everts.
Since April 2020, Linn-Benton has been contacted by close to 200 students who have been experiencing an emergency or need assistance to cover basic needs.
Roadrunner Resources works closely with various community organizations, which include Corvallis Services Consortium, Department of Human Services, utility assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits), and Oregon Health Plan. Forty percent of students who reach out to LBCC are helped via these outside resources. About 30% of students who reach out will receive help from the Roadrunner Resource Center, which leverages Foundation funds to help cover things not covered by community agencies, according to Everts.
“When it comes to housing almost half of the requests that we have are on housing, or related to concerns on housing, and they’ll [students] contact us not knowing whether they can take a class or not. We’ll find out they’re couch surfing, but have an opportunity to get an apartment, but can’t come up with the deposit, and that’s where the Community Services Consortium has really been able to step in. As an institution, we’re trying to help with that immediate barrier that is hindering a student to get education,” said Everts.
“We see so many students without access to the internet,” said Everts. “Students who don’t have access to proper internet have reported sitting outside Starbucks (for internet) only to be harassed for loitering. The impact of this pandemic is like a rolling snowball.”
She “loves working with the students, but some of these stories are really heavy. … Not having half the resources many of us had in school, I think this really shows the resilience of our students," said Everts.
There is help out there, for the smallest of barriers to the largest, Everts said. With thoughts of “somebody else needs this more than me, so I’m not going to apply,” she fears those who could use the help won’t reach out.
At a Glance:
What: Roadrunner Student Resources through LBCC and the community for immediate aid amid the pandemic.
When: Winter Term 2021
Where: Linn and Benton Counties.
Website: resources@linnbenton.edu., https://www.jacksonstreet.org/services/, https://communityservices.us
For More Information: LBCC Foundation Coordinator Linnea Everts, evertsl@linnbenton.edu.
No comments:
Post a Comment