Housing program will help Columbus State students pay rent, earn degrees

Student News | Monday, October 5, 2020

Leaders in higher education and housing have launched an initiative to provide short-term rental assistance to help low-income students at Columbus State Community College stay enrolled and complete their degrees.

The initiative, called Success Bridge, is a collaboration among Columbus State, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, Community Shelter Board, and the Homeless Families Foundation. They designed the program to help low-income students whose struggle to pay rent and utilities increases their risk of dropping out of college.

(NOTE: Due to an overwhelming initial response to the Success Bridge program, there is a waiting period involved for qualified students who want to apply. Some of the qualifications are listed below.)

The three-year program has two components. Both are targeted to students who have completed 24 credits hours or more and are in good academic standing and include housing assistance and academic counseling.

The short-term assistance component is intended to get students through an immediate housing crisis that could derail their college plans. These students will receive assistance with rent and utilities for up to four months. Although the amount of assistance will vary based on a student’s needs, Success Bridge planners estimate an average assistance of up to $1,800 per student. Approximately 48 students will be provided with short-term assistance in the first year of the initiative.

The “medium-term” component of Success Bridge will enable approximately 24 student households to have stable housing in apartments secured through a partnership with Capital University and will receive rental subsidies from CMHA.

In addition, all Columbus State students will have access to housing counseling, linkages to community resources, and connections to career development and employment counseling at Columbus State’s new Advocacy and Resource Center.