Why We Provide Funds to Queer & Trans Students
Part of our mission is to support students along spectra of gender and sexuality to persist to graduation.
We've read the reports - up to 40% of young people who become homeless each year are LGBTQ. Many students commute to our campus, and housing nearby is becoming less and less affordable. We see that gender and sexual minority students are less likely to have help paying for education and are less likely to have a financial safety net than straight and cisgender students. (Information from "LGBT Roadblocks to Financial Aid")
In giving to the QRC, you are helping to build and sustain our Financial Support Fund. This fund is for transgender and queer students in need of one time financial support for things like groceries, utility bills, legal name updates, emergencies, etc. If you are a student in need of financial support, please contact qrc@pdx.edu.