CAROLINE ROBSON

October 20, 2020

Amid fraternity houses, upscale apartments, and quaint neighborhoods that are all home to some of UW-Madison’s student population lies the harsh truth that many students on campus do not have a place in Madison to call home.

Homelessness and unstable financial and living situations are an issue that plagues American society. However, these populations often get overlooked on college campuses. COVID-19 caused many to lose their jobs and face struggles with affordable and stable housing, and these hardships do not spare students.

According to a 2016 campus climate survey by UW-Madison Academic Planning and Institutional Research, 12% of students on campus struggled to afford food or housing. Over 5,000 students are unsure if they will be able to afford their next month of rent or pay for their groceries.

Since COVID-19 has left many unemployed and taken a toll on minimum wage opportunities, many students are out of work. The service industry and other industries that employ students have taken a great hit from the pandemic, reducing the available job market that helps many students pay rent.

While housing insecurity can affect people of all backgrounds, it is an issue that is deeply ingrained in discriminatory practices in society. Within the already high percentage of students that face these struggles, many minority groups are subject to these conditions at higher rates. Twenty-nine percent of transgender and nonbinary students reported struggles with affording food and housing; along with 24% of students with disabilities, 18% of LGBTQ+ students and 23% of African American students, according to the 2016 UW-Madison campus climate survey.

Struggles with the University’s Response to Housing Insecurity During COVID-19

Recently, the university released a COVID-19 relief package that allows students to apply for rental aid and financial aid in the wake of financial hardships from the pandemic. However, this package came after 11 months of students suffering from financial hardships related to COVID-19, as well as following conflict with the student government on campus, the Associated Students of Madison.

The Associated Students of Madison, prior to the package released by the university, attempted to write and pass a relief package to go directly to students struggling with housing insecurity. The primary difference between the two packages was the groups that were eligible for financial aid. While the university’s aid program allows FAFSA-eligible students to receive aid, this excludes FAFSA-ineligible groups like DACA recipients and international students.

The ongoing battle between Associated Students and the administration has been drawn out because there are many DACA and international students who still need aid, but are ineligible to receive direct funding from the university. As a part of the university sponsored package, there are private funds that DACA and international students can apply for, but this process is much like a scholarship where they may not be selected and have to wait months to receive.

Another primary goal of the Associated Student’s package was to release funds to students immediately, whereas through the university students would have to wait for the application process to be approved before receiving funds. University representatives and their website ensure that they have been working to meet student need since the beginning of the pandemic, however many students still face roadblocks to receiving the aid they need.

“One of the very first things that happened was a real emphasis on ensuring students had access to emergency funds and so we worked closely with the Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association to both solicit donations and also access emergency funding for students who need it to address housing insecurity,” said Kelly Tyrrell, Director of Research Communications for University Communications.

Many students have felt unhappy with the administration’s response. They feel that action was taken too late, as nearly a year into the pandemic students have already been struggling for months. They also feel that the university only released the relief package after attention was brought to the issue of housing instability by student leadership on campus.

“They will take the actions and the real stuff that students have done, in particular [Black, Indigenous and People of Color] BIPOC students, and claim it for their own. They act like just because a student did something progressive, that they have some right to claim it as their own,” said Djamal Lylecyrus, who has been a leader for creating a platform for BIPOC voices on campus.

This aid package was crafted through the teamwork of the Associated Students of Madison, the UW-Madison BIPOC coalition and the sponsorship of various city elders.

“We felt that it was misleading by saying ‘we’re doing something’ when in reality they’re doing the bare minimum. They’re doing what they have to do,” said Matthew Mitnick, chair of the Associated Students of Madison.

Kelly Tyrrell from University Communications encourages any student struggling with housing insecurity to meet with financial service teams and look through the options to apply for aid from the University. This resource can offer many students struggling with housing insecurity a viable option.

Resources for Students

The university’s financial aid resource center is a place for many students to start who are in need of rent assistance and facing housing instability. The office also may help students get in contact with local resources that can provide aid that fits a student’s specific needs, according to the university’s financial aid website.

The Tenant Resource Center is a Madison-based organization that exists to help rental tenants including UW-Madison students with rental and financial based issues. Through the center, students and Dane County residents have access to a variety of services, including funding for back owed rent, rental payment assistance, and counseling services for tenants to mediate relationships with landlords and roommates.

“A lot of people are stuck in the position of ‘I don’t know what to do so I just won’t do anything. That is everywhere right now,” said Robin Sereno, executive director of the Tenant Resource Center.

Sereno encourages students struggling with housing instability to seek help and encourages students to look into the resources available on campus that the university provides in collaboration with the Tenant Resource Center.

“We do educational programs on campus for freshman at the beginning of every year. We work with the university and we want them to know where we are on campus and that we are here to help,” Sereno said. Although some groups on campus like DACA recipients, international students and minority students may struggle to find resources in this time of heightened need from COVID-19, spreading awareness of the resources available can help to reach these groups of students and help decrease the housing instability that so many UW students face.

Written for a class assignment.