SALT LAKE CITY — An initiative is helping college students focus on getting their degree by easing other worries in their life, like getting enough to eat.
At the University of Utah, the "Basic Needs Collective" is helping college students with services like food, tuition and affordable housing.
Associate Director of the program, Sarah Elizabeth Garza-Levitt, said the program personally resonates with her.
"Sometimes being in school and managing all that can be really difficult," Garza-Levitt said. "Especially now in our current financial climate. Students are struggling more than ever to make basic needs happen.”
Right now, she's a second-year PhD student studying college student poverty, but her journey began as a single teenage parent.
Garza-Levitt earned her GED at 16 and then spent more than two decades working on her first undergraduate degree.
“I can totally relate," she exclaimed, "And we want to uphold and support students' dreams, we want to get them where they want to go.”
Students can stop by for a meal or a snack but can also receive help with things like tuition, healthcare and affordable housing. Student volunteers are always on hand to assist.
“We want to destigmatize asking for help, destigmatize basic needs," explained student volunteer Jose Torres. "A lot of people sort of don’t want to talk about these things.”
The collective is a "no-judgment zone" where the goal is to minimize the stress a student may have seeking assistance.
“We always empower students voice and choice and help them navigate the complex world of academics, finances and other life circumstances they might be going through," Garza-Levitt explained. "We’re a resource support.”
To learn more about services offered through the Basic Needs Collective, click here.
