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Students and navigators press Oregon legislature to fund basic-needs supports, propose emergency package
Summary
Students, benefits navigators and advocates urged the House committee to approve one-time emergency funding to expand benefits navigator staffing, campus food pantries, emergency aid and housing support; they flagged bills HB 3182 and HB 3183 and cited HB 2835's earlier navigator funding.
Students, benefits navigators and campus partners told the House Committee on Higher Education on Jan. 28 that food, housing, transportation, childcare and textbook costs are pushing many college students toward dropout and called for an emergency funding package.
"Students at my college and around the country are facing insecurity in many ways," said Kai White, a student senator at Portland Community College, citing a 2023 Hope Center survey finding that 43% of PCC respondents reported food insecurity and 56% reported housing insecurity.
Why it matters: Witnesses said basic-needs insecurity affects students across community colleges and universities and that investments in…
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