SD community colleges aid students amid widespread food, housing insecurity

More than two-thirds of students attending San Diego Community College District institutions struggle with food and/or housing insecurity, according to a survey released Monday.

As a result of the findings, the district’s four colleges reminded its students resources are available for those in need.

“It’s essential for our students to have their basic needs for food and housing met so they can be successful in the classroom and in life,” Susan Topham, SDCCD vice chancellor of educational services, said in a statement. “Without this foundation, our college students face challenges that can impede their academic progress.”

The results of the survey came from the 2025 Real College Survey, which received responses from 77,000 students from 102 community colleges in California. Conducted this spring, more than 3,700 students from the four SDCCD colleges participated.

What it found was 46% of California community college students were uncertain whether they would be able to acquire nutritional food and 58% said they could not afford to pay rent or had to move frequently. Around 20% said they had experienced homelessness.

Locally, the numbers were similar. Of the students attending San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College, and San Diego College of Continuing Education, 44% were food insecure, 59% housing insecure and 23% homeless.

District leaders reminded students that each institution offers resources and all of them have food pantries, transit passes, gas cards, clothing and emergency grants.

• At City College, the Knights’ Table Food Pantry offers meals, snacks, hygiene products and diapers. Knights’ Threads & Things provides clothing and household items for students. Fresh Cutz Barbershop offers free haircuts and embedded mental health support services for students. Additionally, construction is ongoing on an 800-bed affordable student housing apartment complex expected to open in fall 2028.
• At Mesa College, The Stand: The Dr. Pamela T. Luster Resource Center is an emergency food pantry, and offers clothing, basic needs counseling, student support and food distributions twice a month. Mesa offers $50-$500 grants and loans from its Resiliency Fund for students who experience an emergency, and service cards are available for food, transportation and toiletries.
• At Miramar College, the Jet Fuel Resource Center provides a clothing closet, basic toiletries, and food options through a food pantry and bi-monthly free farmers markets.
• College of Continuing Education offers the Commitment to Accessible Resources for Educational Support (CARES) program, which provides students with free clothing, personal hygiene items, food and transportation gift cards and referrals to support services.

Cal Coast Credit Union and the San Diego Food Bank have teamed up for the 7th annual “Pack the Pantry” food drive through Oct. 31 to support students facing food insecurity. For more information, go to calcoastcu.org/packthepantry.

The San Diego Community College District serves around 90,000 students annually.

City News Service contributed to this article.