Sacramento-area community colleges are making plans for new housing. One will break ground soon

Krystal De La Cruz shares a bedroom in her parents’ house with her nearly 3-year-old daughter.

It’s not ideal for her, but it helps her make ends meet while she finishes her associate’s degree in child development at Sacramento City College.

“At 34 years old, I would like to have things a certain way,” she said, “When you live under your parents’ roof, you can’t really decorate things the way you want to decorate. Most of my things are in my bedroom, and my daughter’s things are over here in my bedroom. It can get kind of cramped.”

De La Cruz is one of many community college students across California who experience housing insecurity. A 2021 report from the California Legislature said as many as 1 of 5 community college students experience homelessness in an academic year as high rents and tuition costs make it difficult for them to find adequate housing.

California lawmakers have advanced several proposals to help students find safe places to sleep recently, including creating a $2 billion grant program in 2021 to support colleges and universities in building new housing.

Another new law, adopted through the state budget Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in June, gives money to community colleges to determine whether they could build affordable student rental housing.

Community colleges in Sacramento County are benefiting from both pots of money.

The four Los Rios Community Colleges: Cosumnes River College, Sacramento City College, American River College and Folsom Lake College each received $110,000 to determine whether they can construct student rental housing.

Separately, Cosumnes River College applied for and received a housing grant in October 2021. It’s getting $44 million to construct a new apartment complex near its south Sacramento main campus. Construction is slated to begin in fall 2023, with a fall 2025 completion.

Gabe Ross, chief communications officer said the district recently sent a 53-question survey to over 49,000 student email addresses across all four colleges. He said the survey received 4,230 individual responses and identified a demand of more than 5,000 beds across the district.

Here’s a look at how each campus is using its housing grants.

Cosumnes River College

The new apartment complex for Cosumnes students will deliver 147 beds, said Theresa Tena, the college’s vice president of administration. Students with dependents would be eligible housing there.

She said the monthly rental rate for student housing would be capped using a state formula based on the county’s area median income. Based on 2021 data, the maximum monthly rental rate the college may charge for state-funded, low-income student housing would be $797 for a single room.

“Assuming a one-bedroom apartment is $1,973 a month, a single student in a one-bedroom apartment at (CRC) would save $1,176 a month in rent alone,” Tena said via email.

She said each unit will be fully furnished and include bathrooms, a kitchenette, internet connection and utilities.

“This housing program really opens up a new way to support our students,” she said.

Sacramento City College

Andre Coleman, the dean of the office of intervention at Sacramento City College, said creating housing is difficult because it requires so much space and comes with logistical problems. If a campus builds residence halls, then they have to build parking. If a campus builds housing away from campus, students would then have to find a way to campus, so they might have to build housing next to public transportation.

“I don’t think this is a small feat trying to have community colleges in particular create some kind of communal living,” Coleman said. “If you think about a traditional four-year college, there’s a lot of land. Most of us just don’t have that. Most of us are landlocked because part of our mission is to be in the community.”

Sacramento Community College offers social services on campus two days a week, according to Coleman. The college also has an emergency hotel program that temporarily houses students if an emergency arises, Coleman said, like removal from a domestic violence situation or an apartment catching on fire.

“There are limitations,” Coleman said. “We may or may not be the right place, but we will get you to the right place.”

American River College

American River College has completed a housing feasibility study, and determined that it has capacity to build on-campus housing.

“Understandably the timelines for building new buildings is lengthy but this was a good starting point,” said Valerie Adger, the student support supervisor for the Beaver Cares basic needs program at the college. “Our team is moving forward with other housing options nearby for our students as we continue to move this project forward.”

Until the project comes together, Adger said there are programs in place for students experiencing housing crises. The basic needs program connects with students about their individual needs, income and resources to find out what their the best options are immediately and long-term.

For students who are in unsafe living situations, the Beaver Cares program offers free short-term emergency hotel vouchers. Adger said the college also has an ongoing partnership with a local nonprofit, which affords it the capability to expand housing resources throughout the county.

Folsom Lake College

Folsom Lake College has students every year who seek affordable housing or experience housing insecurity, said Vice President of Student Services Kellie Butler. She said students sometimes seek affordable apartments to rent after experiencing housing insecurity because of wildfire evacuations.

She said the Falcon Cares program offers students experiencing housing insecurity the opportunity to use emergency housing vouchers with Extended Stay America for two weeks at a time when there is a gap in their housing. It also gives out emergency grants when students need additional support for groceries, books, technology, transportation and other basic needs to help the students focus on academics.

“Affordable student housing is an exciting option for Folsom Lake College students,” Butler said via email. “Access to affordable housing and emergency housing will benefit FLC students and our surrounding community if we are to successfully remove barriers and increase access to a college education as we aim to meet the workforce needs of the future.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2022 at 5:30 AM.