During their emergency stay in the residence halls, students are provided with linens and basic toiletries and are directed to various services and resources on campus. Meal plans are also available at no charge to the students.
Students also have weekly case management appointments with CSUB staff who help them develop a housing plan after their 30 days are up.
“In many cases, students decide that moving into the residence halls permanently is the best and most supportive option for them,” said Associate Director of Student Housing Ashley Scott. “Living on campus provides students with a supportive community that includes professional staff that are here to help residents be successful students.”
Torres is one such student. He opted to take out a loan that allowed him to stay in the residence halls this semester and has been focused on getting back to work after losing his job when COVID-19 hit in 2020.
Torres had been working part-time as a food server at The BLVD in downtown Bakersfield when he was laid off due to COVID. Starting with the fall semester, he began working a few shifts at the Student Recreation Center to get by.
Things are now looking up, however. In December, Torres resumed work at The BLVD in addition to his shifts at the SRC. He has also been concentrating on his schoolwork and plans to graduate in spring 2023. He is considering a career in either social work or sports psychology.
Torres said the assistance he has received from CSUB helped give him the peace of mind he needed to stay focused on work and school.
“It’s been a blessing. Getting to live on campus was a great step for me,” he said. “Everyone is respectful and has a positive mindset. It’s amazing. CSUB is starting to feel like home to me.”
Not all students have been able to make such a successful transition, however. While many students in crisis are willing to accept the emergency housing, there are still some who decline it. And even among students who do accept it, some are unable to or don’t want to continue staying in the residence halls.
“This is really where our gap is,” Dr. Watkins said. “We try to help them find affordable housing off campus, but the housing market in Bakersfield has gotten tighter and rent is going up, so it’s a struggle for some of our students. As a community, as a state, we need to find more affordable options for student housing. We’re constantly pushing our elected officials to do something about this and are working with community partners to develop long-term solutions.”
In the meantime, Dr. Watkins is grateful that CSUB can at least offer a longer period of emergency housing than it had been able to in the past and believes it makes a big difference for the students who take advantage of it.
“I’m really proud of the work we do and that we were able to move from seven days to 30 days,” he said. “I know it fills a critical need for students, but I also know we have a long way to go. There’s still work we need to do in this area to make sure students get the support they need.”
For more information about student housing and other services for students, visit csub.edu/basicneeds.