NOVEMBER 9, 2020 — UTSA is the first university in the nation to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to launch a rapid-rehousing program for college students with a history of foster care. The $1.22 million grant will fund a program that will support young adults with a history of foster care who are pursuing postsecondary education and are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The Bexar County Fostering Educational Success Housing First Project aims to address critical housing needs of at least 25 students each year who are pursuing a college degree at one of the three public postsecondary institutions in Bexar County—UTSA, Texas A&M University–San Antonio, or the Alamo Colleges District.
The Housing First Project is part of the Bexar County Fostering Educational Success Pilot Project, which includes partnerships between UTSA, A&M–SA, ACD, Bexar County Children’s Court, Child Advocates San Antonio and Family Tapestry/The Children’s Shelter to create educational support resources for current and former foster care youths by enhancing programs and practices and developing targeted support to increase college access, enrollment, and retention and graduation rates.
Coupled with the coaching and resources of BCFES’s existing campus-based support program staff and community partners, the Housing First Program will assist students with rental assistance and wrap-around support for 12 to 24 months to support their ability to complete a college degree.
The innovative rapid-rehousing model includes peer advocacy, supportive case management, assistance with moving costs, rent and utility deposits, child care, mental health services, legal services and life skill development, in addition to the strong focus on educational support and degree completion. The San Antonio Bar Association, Jewish Family Service and Thrive Youth Center are additional partners providing supportive services for the Housing First Program.
“We are thrilled that UTSA and the Bexar County Fostering Educational Success Pilot Project are leading this collaborative effort. Housing is a critical need for so many students with a history of foster care, and this program will provide the holistic support they need to pursue their dreams of a higher education,” said Taylor and Peggy Eighmy, president and first lady of UTSA, said in a joint statement.
UTSA assistant professor of social work and principal investigator for the grant Megan Piel believes this funding will have an incredible impact on the university and the surrounding community.
“This collaborative effort to address youth and young adult homelessness will have a collective impact on our community and improve outcomes by addressing a critical housing need that influences educational and long-term success,” Piel said. “In addition to serving as a model for other communities, this project addresses a significant gap in research with youth and young adult experiences of homelessness and transitions to postsecondary education for students with a history of foster care.”
The Housing First Project is part of the $6.88 million Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program grant awarded to the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless in 2019. UTSA also is part of that larger community awareness campaign—The Movement to House All Youth—to prevent and end youth homelessness in San Antonio.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Archaeology 201 will briefly go over the foundations of archaeology and related skills, followed by a different topic over the course of this week (like skeletal analysis, global cultures, and more).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusCraft a comic to create your own narrative and find your voice through storytelling. Participants will learn to create characters that are self-reflective and through a community lens.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusJoin the Student Involvement Center and the Whataburger Resource Room (Food-Pantry) for a service project! Help us prepare for the Roadrunner Days Move-In Market on Thursday, July 25 from 11 AM - 2 PM by assisting us with the following volunteer needs. We are preparing for UTSA's largest garage sale, but everything is free for our students!
BK Lot 5 Building (Next to Campus Garden), Main CampusCome enjoy a discussion on art as a self expression in the age of moving technology and telling your story with a community.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusThe UTSA Veteran and Military Office will be holding a social event for our new military-affiliated students to come out and meet our office, staff, and other students.
MB 0.100, Ground Floor Lobby, Main BuildingThe Student Union invites you to join us for Kickback at the Union, a fun event designed to get you acquainted with all of the services available in the Student Union!
Student UnionInterested in learning more about the different fraternities and sororities in the Multicultural Greek Council? Come meet our organizations and enjoy free food and music.
Retama Galleria (SU 2.02,) Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.