The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual assessment of basic needs security among college students. The survey, created by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice (Hope Center), specifically evaluates access to affordable food and housing. This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered in the fall of 2018 at the seven community colleges that make up the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) system.
More than 3,000 students participated in the survey. Among our findings were the following:
- 44% of respondents were food-insecure in the prior 30 days
- 54% of respondents were housing-insecure in the previous year
- 15% of respondents were homeless in the previous year
This #RealCollege Survey Report affirms that basic needs security is a challenge for undergraduates pursuing credentials. The scope of the problem described here is more substantial than previously documented and should be cause for a systemic response.