Given demonstrably high rates of housing insecurity and homelessness among the nation’s community college students, innovative public housing authorities have begun collaborating with colleges. These partnerships aim to promote college success, including degree completion, and help students become economically self-sufficient. Since 2017, the Hope Center has been studying one of the first housing authority/community college partnerships, the College Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) in Tacoma, Washington. The program primarily offers rental assistance to help students pay rent on the private market, though additional supports have become available over time. Harvard’s Kennedy School named CHAP among the nation’s top 25 most innovative governmental initiatives for 2018.
For College, Community, and Justice
