The BWEL Scholar House Initiative
The Problem
Basic needs insecurities disproportionately affect marginalized students.
They are associated with longer work hours and a higher risk of unemployment. Longer work hours means less time to study and complete assignments, leading to poor academic performance. Financial aid often falls short of student needs, and students seldom qualify and are unable to comply with requirements of public benefits programs like SNAP. Childcare is also an essential benefit missing from many college campuses. Moreover, with escalating housing costs in Wake County, single parent students often face the hard choice between completing their degree or paying rent. Once they withdraw from school, it is highly unlikely they will return, which perpetuates the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
| Student Parents Facing | Community College | Four-Year College |
|---|---|---|
| Food Insecurity | 52% | 43% |
| Housing Insecurity | 61% | 51% |
| Homelessness | 11% | 10% |
Locally, 9.6% of NC State students reported experiencing homelessness in the previous year.
Did You Know?
- 65% of children in poor families in North Carolina live with a single parent.
- Children of parents with some college or more are almost 3 times less likely to live in poverty than those whose parents have no postsecondary education.
- 5 million undergraduates in the U.S. are raising dependent children. Over half of them are single parent families, who have the highest drop-out rate among all demographics.
- Basic needs insecurities are co-related with poor academic performance.
The Solution
No single parent should be forced to forfeit their education due to inability to pay rising housing and childcare costs. The BWEL Scholar House is our first initiative, created on the premise that supportive services are essential to school success for low-income single parents and their children. By providing high-quality housing, five-star early childhood education, academic support, access to technology and transportation, and intergenerational programming, BWEL seeks to provide the critical supports that empower single parent families to succeed in education.
This initiative will be mirrored after the best practice 2 generation model to end poverty, which provides a clear path to success for the entire family. It includes 3 phases: pre-residential, residential, and post-residential that shows the progression from the first call for help to program completion and exit to self-sufficiency in the community.
By providing safe, supportive housing, high quality early childhood education, academic support, basic needs assistance, access to technology and transportation, and intergenerational programming, BWEL seeks to provide the critical supports that empower single parent families to succeed in education.
BWEL
4501 New Bern Avenue
Suite 130, Box 236
Raleigh, NC 27610
Thank you for your generosity!
To find out more about the BWEL Scholar House initiative or to get involved, please contact us or request a speaker to share more with your group.