Thursday, March 5 officials at Modesto Junior College were notified by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office that it was one of the 14 colleges across the state to receive a grant to help homeless and housing insecure students find reliable shelter. MJC is the only college in the area to be chosen for the grant.

The College and Homeless and Housing Insecure Pilot Program is being funded through a $9 million allocation included in the 2019-20 budget by the state Legislature to support rapid rehousing services to California community college students.

“Students attend California’s community colleges because they are seen as an effective way of moving up on the socioeconomic ladder, and many of those students are living in poverty,” said Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley. “We are committed to helping our students succeed, and that means working with community-based organizations to build upon existing resources in implementing sustainable programs to support homeless and housing-insecure students.”

Dr. Ashley L. Griffith, Dean of Student Services, whose team worked on the grant, shared: “We are very excited about being awarded this grant, and for the opportunity to remove the barrier of housing insecurity for many of our students. We will work collaboratively to identify immediate assistance for our students in dire need, and also explore ways to eradicate this issue for students even after they’ve left our campus.”

MJC will be working collaboratively with the Stanislaus County Housing Authority in order to implement this grant.

For more information, contact Dr. Ashley L. Griffith, Dean of Student Services at (209) 575-6032, or griffitha@yosemite.edu.