Equity Supporting Students’ Basic Needs

CalFresh Outreach Project

Promoting resources that address student hunger.

To combat the food insecurity faced by two-thirds of California community college students, the Chancellor’s Office and FoundationCCC are collaborating on a statewide effort with multiple partners to promote CalFresh among students through targeted outreach on college campuses and in communities. Part of these efforts is a pilot program for CalFresh Outreach Student Ambassadors and outreach toolkits with promotional materials that utilize a peer-to-peer method. By educating students about the program and encouraging them to apply, we hope to reduce stigma around the program and raise awareness of its value as a resource.

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California Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach: Community Connect Program

Increasing awareness of tax credit eligibility for students.

The Community Connect Program, formerly the Tax Credit & Public Benefits Outreach program, helps to disrupt generational cycles of poverty and improve community outcomes by providing tax credits to parenting and non-parenting working students. FoundationCCC, in partnership with the Golden State Opportunity Foundation, works with campus partners to provide outreach grants, so that more students are aware of and equipped with the knowledge about tax credit eligibility.

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California Low-Cost Auto Insurance Outreach

Removing transportation challenges for Californians.

Expenses other than tuition can account for more than college tuition costs. To holistically address our students’ basic needs, FoundationCCC is working in partnership with the California Department of Insurance to bring awareness to the California Low-Cost Auto Insurance program. The California Low-Cost Auto Insurance (CLCA) program is a state-sponsored program that makes auto insurance affordable and is designed to provide income-eligible affordable rates as a way to meet California’s mandatory insurance law. Outreach for the program will be conducted collaboratively by FoundationCCC’s student ambassadors and select campus partners will conduct peer-to-peer outreach and a social media campaign to promote low-cost auto insurance for students and communities.

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Community College Student Ambassador Program

Peer-to-peer outreach training for student leaders.

The California Community College Student Ambassador Program trains California community college students to serve as on-campus advocates who educate their peers about programs and resources available for student success. Peer-to-peer outreach by student ambassadors builds awareness, decreases stigma, and increases access to basic needs programs and public benefits.  The program provides students with a paid opportunity to develop as campus and community leaders, helping to address equity gaps within their communities and using these skills to affect further change.

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Student Health and Wellness

Raising awareness of community college mental health needs.

FoundationCCC’s Student Health and Wellness efforts include our partnership with the  California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in the California Community Colleges Health and Wellness Program and Wellness Central, as well as supporting our wellness ambassadors in our CCC Student Ambassadors Program. Through the CCC Health and Wellness program, we support a statewide effort focusing on prevention and early intervention strategies which address the mental health needs of California community college students and advance the collaboration between community colleges and community based agencies. Additionally, in merging our CCC Wellness Ambassadors with our CCC Student Ambassador program, we now train students around wellness resources, stigma reduction, peer-to-peer outreach techniques, and other basic needs resources, encouraging students to connect their peers with basic needs and mental health resources.

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