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/equity2030/blog/images/october-2024.jpgsite://minnstate/equity2030/blog/images/october-2024.jpgminnstateoctober-2024.jpg1286251000455By Paul ShepherdBasic Needs Resource Hub Positively Impacts Users

Basic Needs Resource Hub Positively Impacts Users

By Paul Shepherd, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

October 7, 2024

In August 2022, Minnesota State launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with United Way 211 to create the Minnesota State Basic Needs Resource Hub. The Basic Needs Resource Hub connects all Minnesota State students with a wide range of resources available at their college or university campus and in their local community via text or phone 24/7. The creation of the Basic Needs Resource Hub was prompted by research that revealed over a third of college and university students had recently experienced food insecurity and almost half had experienced housing insecurity within the previous year. Data also showed that basic needs insecurity was disproportionately experienced by Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and first-generation college students.

The Basic Needs Resource Hub is recognized as one of the most innovative and largest-in-scope partnerships between higher education and a community-based organization aimed at collaboratively addressing basic needs insecurity experienced by college students. Over 2,000 students have connected with the resource hub since the launch and students who have use the resource hub have reported an extremely positive experience. Our goal in sustaining the Basic Needs Resource Hub is to provide students with equitable and comprehensive support that is easily accessible.

A little more than a year after the launch of the Basic Needs Resource Hub, Minnesota State worked with The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at Temple University to assess students’ familiarity the Resource Hub and the impact it has made helping students gain access to resources to address their basic needs. The Hope Center research team developed a student survey administered in April of 2024.

Basic Needs Hub Data

In a nutshell, the results of the survey revealed some good news and some not so good news.

There were 1,703 Minnesota State students who completed the survey and among those students the majority (68%) said they hadn’t heard of the Basic Needs Resource Hub.

We suspected this might be the case based on the data we had been tracking of student utilization since the launch. Confirming the majority of students surveyed hadn’t heard of the resource hub was the not so good news. The good news is that among those students who used the Resource Hub:

 

 

• 77% were satisfied with the service• 82% were extremely or somewhat likely to recommend the Resource Hub to other students

• 72% strongly or somewhat agreed it helped them find solutions to meet their basic needs• 68% strongly or somewhat agreed it reduced their stress level

• 67% strongly or somewhat agreed it made them feel supported by their institution or community• 43% strongly or somewhat agreed it helped them stay in school

The research findings support the concept that an easily accessible Basic Needs Resource Hub can make a positive difference for students. The results also indicate that getting the word out about the Resource Hub can be challenging and will take a comprehensive and continual communications approach to truly make an impact for our students.

To that end, we know that our faculty and staff are significant sources of support for students when they are struggling with basic needs. We know students often seek support from their faculty members for a wide variety of needs well beyond the content of the course. We also know students may reach out to academic advisors, counselors, their peers, and other trusted student support staff. Faculty may also be in a unique position to notice if students could benefit from basic needs support. Sharing available resources with students can make all the difference in the world and referring students to a centralized resource like the Minnesota State Basic Needs Resource Hub takes the guess work out of providing easy access to options for support. Increasing awareness of the Basic Needs Resource Hub is essential to maximize the impact this resource can have in addressing our equity and student success goals. Our team will work this year to do more that can support faculty and staff in their role, referring students to resources that can help them meet their basic needs.  

Another important step will be to work with campus leaders to find ways to embed the Basic Needs Resource Hub as a core component of the student support infrastructure available to students at our colleges and universities. The Basic Needs Resource Hub is intended to enhance the capacity of staff and faculty by making it easier to refer students to essential resources. We want to focus on ways the Basic Needs Resource Hub can be further used within the daily practice of our student support staff and more frequently communicated to students.

The creation of the Basic Needs Resource Hub was motivated by data showing the disproportionate impact of basic needs insecurity experienced by students identified within our Equity 2030 goal. Eliminating gaps in education outcomes by race, socioeconomic status, and generation status will require a comprehensive effort that addresses the very real barriers our students are facing that interfere with student success. Our students aren’t going to be able to do their best academically if their basic needs are not met. It will take all of us across Minnesota State to build the student support infrastructure that will eliminate equity gaps in outcomes and provide students with the support they need and deserve. The Basic Needs Resource Hub can be a core component of that infrastructure, and we need everyone’s help to ensure that our students know this resource exists.

Additional information about the survey and sample

  • Conducted by The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs at Temple University
  • Conducted via email
  • Launched April 8, 2024 and closed at the end of the spring 2024 semester
  • 1,703 responses (1% response rate)
  • All 33 Minnesota State colleges and universities are represented in the dataset and the sample size is proportional to the size of each college/university’s student body
  • Compared to the demographics of Minnesota State colleges and universities, the sample is:
    • Older (35+ age range is overrepresented; 18-19 age range is underrepresented)
    • Similar with regard to race ethnicity
    • Higher percentage of women and gender diverse individuals; lower percentage of men
    • Similar with regard to veteran status