When the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) allocated Washinton State University $480,000 in 2023 to help support students experiencing food insecurity, Heather Case, assistant dean of students on the Pullman campus, did not think it was going to be difficult to find students to take the money.
“When we began emailing students about the funding, a lot of them thought it was a scam,” Case said. “They thought it was too good to be true and ignored our emails.”
Now Case has a person on staff, Annalei Santos, to add a more personal touch to the outreach effort. In fact, several WSU campuses — in Pullman, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver — have created positions called basic needs (benefits) navigators to help connect students experiencing houselessness, food insecurity, or childcare challenges, with WSU, county, and state resources that can help them.
“We noticed the number of students applying for emergency funding went up again from last year,” said Case. “The need for assistance keeps increasing, and I think these positions will make a significant difference in student persistence.”
State steps up its support
The basic needs navigator positions are funded by multiple sources including WSAC grants created to address housing and food security.
A Washington Student Experience Survey administered by WSAC in 2022 found that nearly half of all college students across Washington experienced some form of basic needs insecurity. One in three students surveyed experienced food insecurity or housing insecurity, and one in 10 students experienced houselessness in the past 12 months. The survey will be conducted again Oct. 28 to Nov. 22 and all WSU students will be encouraged to participate.
WSU Pullman’s allocation of $480,000 over two years (and a commitment for additional third-year funding) is being used to support first-year, low-income or Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) students living in the residence halls.
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