In the state of California more than 135,000 people were homeless in 2017 (Mello.) In this great population of people who are homeless a significant amount are students attending college. The New York Times reported that California State University estimated that 8 percent to 12 percent of its 470,000 students experienced homelessness in 2016 – at least 37,000 students. (Service, City News. NBC Los Angeles.) However, on a societal level this problem is not acknowledged. Furthermore, many college students also believe the idea that homeless people are only those that they see on the side of the freeway or busy metropolitan streets; the people that may be older, mentally ill, former veterans, alcoholics or drug users. However, this is a misperception. The real truth is that in California studies show that 1 out of 10 (10%) Cal State students and 1 out of 5 (20%) community college students are homeless (Reed).
Also, many students do not identified as homeless when in reality they are and an even greater number are dealing with the threat of hunger and other poverty struggles. There is a cognitive dissonance that the general student population experience in which they believe that everyone is working part time or having assistance from parental figures or using financial aid but still living comfortably. This dissonance may be created via the unaffected students ‘turning a blind eye’ since this issue isn’t as visible to them or relevant to their lives.
Having so many students being unaware of the issue an/or how to help is what I propose we can alter. The impact of many students working alongside to fight the problem could be crucial to solving this increasing homelessness population in students. Cognitive Dissonance theory is defined as the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, attitudes or behaviors, typically relating to psychology of an individual and the effects of one’s beliefs. According to Festinger (1957), ‘dissonance can be reduced by changing one of the cognitions or generating new cognitions to restore consonance, or by downplaying the importance of the dissonance-arousing cognitions.’ When one experiences cognitive dissonance something must change (attitude or behavior) to eliminate the inconsistency.
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When addressing cognitive dissonance it is important to recognize that people’s beliefs have value and not to strictly invalidate their beliefs but persuade them of other alternative thoughts that may be more congruent to a position of an issue. When someone’s thoughts are based on stereotypes and are not aligning with full information of the diversity of the topic, dissonance moves the issue from an intraindividual issue to one that is greater among society. At a societal level this implies that the stereotypes drive people to believe one train of thought but should not limit one’s thinking.
An issue is no less important, nor more accurate simply because a lot of people believe it. Individuals that are willing to take the time to try and bring awareness to a problem sometimes are seen as the ones experiencing cognitive dissonance. While it it not a discussion whether one is right or wrong, the dissonance is more that a problem may not seem as serious to some when in another’s perspective it is really a influential topic. This is directly connected with aspects of the homelessness population on college campuses and the students and schools that are not recognizing it as a dire situation that ultimately could be affecting a number of those being educated. To address the problem of students lacking awareness and/ or acknowledgement of peers who are experiencing homelessness, the following project is offered. Consciousness Raising Campaign.
This project is aimed at creating cognitive dissonance by providing alternative information to the campus population. When overcoming large issues I believe that it requires many minds and many hardworking hands to accomplish success. There is a significant number of people that are experiencing the harshness that comes with being homeless as well as trying to be successful in a system that asks for students to commit to developing their education. This project intends to raise the awareness by implementing billboards, offering locations for shelter, creating a online discussion group, offering events for participation and instilling a new belief for students and staff.
Every college is required to have a Homeless and Foster Student Liaison per California AB 801 (2016) (Ca. Educ. Code §67003.5). Colleges are also required to assist identified homeless students and offer housing opportunities when available per California AB 1228 (2015) (Ca. Educ. Code §§76010, 90001.5, 92660) (Au and Shahera). These project initiatives would be coordinated with every colleges Homeless and Foster Student Liaison. This program will seek to raise consciousness by: Having five billboards donated close to campuses. Ten banners across the campus. Include information on the school website and offer an online discussion board. Potentially using school space for housing at least 3 days a week i.e. the gym or unused classrooms.
Hold 6 events a year i.e. barbeque, rally, health fair. This awareness in hopes will bring more attention to the fact that with others help we can collectively assist those that need it. Homelessness in colleges in being addressed on a smaller scale and most of the focus is put towards feeding students and guaranteeing them a well balanced diet. While feeding the minds of our states future is incredibly important it is now proving to not be enough to only feed these minds. Giving students a space outside of the campus to continually reinforce the hunger for knowledge is very important to a students psyche. By raising consciousness the hope would be that empathy would raise as well and that in turn would create additional resources. It is my belief that addressing student awareness first would be the most productive approach in creating a positive resolution. More students and staff being aware of how this issue is affecting their peers is being overlooked.
Helping college campuses understand and make the connection that homelessness is happening to people in their classes. Initiating a conversation on building a cognitive consciousness with students unaffected by the problem of homelessness is critical to bridging the gap to those that are dissonant. There are students that may be aware of this being an ongoing issue but feeling helpless as they are struggling with the basics of regular school and work life balance. We are requesting that we show students that they do have the power to enforce change. Giving resources and offering assistance can build more relationships, and establish a stronger community.
A force that is willing to mold new ideas for the betterment of humanity is not only philanthropic but could produce a more effective state economy. Our state is one of the leading contributors to our nation, yet it is struggling with a issue that I believe could be greatly reduced if not eliminated. Homelessness in college students is proving to be increasing and with that increase we are now at a level where we can either continue to close our eyes to those that would look to us for guidance or be the advocates for change. This project is meant to have others joining and understanding our cause of creating a safe haven for all students.
Works Cited
- Barragan, Bianca. ‘Housing for Homeless College Students to Rise on City-Owned Boyle Heights Property.’ Curbed LA, Curbed LA, 26 Oct. 2017, la.curbed.com/2017/10/26/16553038/boyle-heights-homeless-college-student-housing.
- Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Evanston, Ill: Row Peterson Hall, Richard. “Cognitive Dissonance.” EE 3430, 1998, web.mst.edu/~psyworld/cognitive_dissonance.htm.
- McKimmie, Blake M. “Cognitive Dissonance in Groups.” Social and Personality Psychology Compass, vol. 9, no. 4, 2015, pp. 202–212., doi:10.1111/spc3.12167.
- Mello, Felicia. “California Campuses Confront a Growing Challenge: Homeless Students.”CALmatters, 3 Apr. 2018, calmatters.org/articles/homeless-college-students-california/.
- Reed, Chris. “Homelessness Surging among California College Students.” CalWatchdog.com, 2 Oct. 2017, calwatchdog.com/2017/10/02/homelessness-surging-among-california-college-students/.
- “Homeless Initiative.” Los Angeles County, homeless.lacounty.gov/. “Overcoming Homelessness Through Education.” SchoolHouse Connection, www.schoolhouseconnection.org/.
- Service, City News. “LA County Ranks Second for Largest Homeless Population.” NBC Southern California, NBC Southern California, 7 Dec. 2017, www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LA-County-Ranks-Second-for-Largest-Homeless- Population-462449073.html
- United States, Congress, Au, Nancy, and Shahera Hyatt. “Resources Supporting Homeless Students at California’s Public Universities and Colleges.” Resources Supporting Homeless Students at California’s Public Universities and Colleges, The California Wellness Foundation and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation., Apr. 2017. cahomelessyouth.library.ca.gov/docs/pdf/CollegeSupportsReportPDF4-27-17.pdf.
