Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 15, students seeking basic needs support — like emergency funds, housing or food assistance — will find these resources in one place: PSU’s Basic Needs Hub.
Portland State University has offered access and support to these resources before, but the opening of the Basic Needs Hub signals an improvement in accessibility.
“The goal is to create a one-stop-shop that students feel comfortable in to access community and PSU resources, obtain peer support, give input to the process, and create a sense of belonging at PSU and in the community,” said Lee Phillips, PSU’s newly hired Basic Needs Navigator. “Our mission is to connect PSU students to resources in the moment of need so students can focus on academics, career goals and interpersonal relationships.”
Funding for the Basic Needs Navigator is supported by House Bill 2835, which provided funding to Oregon’s public universities and community colleges to hire these navigators to help students access resources.
A 2020 report from PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative showed that 44.6% of PSU students experienced housing insecurity in the 12 months prior, 16.1% experienced homelessness in the same time frame, and 47% experienced food insecurity in the 30 days prior to completing the survey. Furthermore, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students were disproportionately impacted and were twice as likely as white students to experience homelessness.
As a first-generation, non-traditional student, Phillips said she relied on services like the Learning Center, Women’s Resource Center, Queer Resource Center, Financial Aid and SHAC from PSU during her undergraduate and master's programs as well.
“It gave me the understanding that it is very confusing trying to navigate all the many services PSU offers and it takes time to look everything up on the website, go to the offices and fill out forms,” she said. “One of my goals is that I can alleviate some of that confusion and length of time for students by assisting them in their search for support, and also offer community resources for them.”
The Basic Needs Hub will offer a mini food pantry, diapers, sleep care kits including earplugs, tea, an eye mask, notepad, floss, pen and other essentials. Phillips will also be able to connect students with other food insecurity options on campus — including the PSU Food Pantry, meal vouchers, the Free Food Market and SNAP — as well as outside benefits from the county, state or federal resources.
As the Basic Needs Hub continues to take shape, Phillips wants to ensure students are involved in the process of designing the space and involved with the Basic Needs Advisory Board to determine what additional resources are helpful and needed. Long-term, Phillips hopes to have students providing peer-to-peer services as well.
Students are invited to tour the new space at Smith Memorial Student Union 435 during the open house from 2 to 3:30 p.m on Feb. 15. Moving forward, the hub will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with additional hours by appointment.