Analysis of Homeless on Campus by Eleanor Bader

Whether we pay attention to it or not, the homelessness rate in America is increasing, including in students. In the article “Homeless on Campus,” Eleanor Bader shares personal stories of college students and how they struggled to find a place to call home. This article brings attention to how these struggling students will try to deal with it independently. Whether they are getting out of a harmful situation or went broke, these students are using college to succeed. Colleges need to give these students more help through an anonymous response on campus and adapt to unique situations.

Bader gives four stories of homeless students and how they struggled to balance school and to feel safe at night. One of the examples she provides is a girl named Aesha. Aesha had to leave her home when her partner became physically abusive. She and her son became homeless and slept on benches in parks while still traveling to school. Second, Adriana Broadway bounced from home to home in high school, living with different friends just trying to find a safe place to sleep. Johnny was thrown out because his mom’s boyfriend did not like him, and Asad and his family couldn’t afford a home. Students like these are the reason the LeTendre Education Fund for Homeless Children was created. This is a scholarship program that gives the tools necessary for homeless students to succeed in college if that is really what they desire. The students that Bader included display the scholarship’s goal and prime audience for students trying harder than every other student to have a stable life. Statistics of the number of homeless college students did not exist when this article was written. Still, now there are more than 10% of students are facing homelessness in community college as of 2018(Best Colleges). Bader also blames the high housing costs in the United States for college students’ homelessness. Lastly, Bader shares ways and plans teachers/administrators have come up with to help students.

This article exposes the experiences of homeless college students that others could also be experiencing right now across the country. And these kids aren’t lost because they aren’t trying hard enough, the cost of housing is so high, and the minimum wage is so low that there is no way for these kids to be able to support themselves and get through college to find a career, so there is no way they can simply “pull up their bootstraps.” Bader even shares, “few homeless students are so lucky.” And college is more expensive than ever without scholarships or having a wealthy family; students are bound to end up in piles of debt if they can even take out loans. 

Though I have never experienced homelessness myself, I have experienced having to bounce from house to house. A few years ago, my parents got divorced. This caused a lot of confusion over where my brother and I would be staying. We created a plan to spend half the week with my mom and half with my dad. While this worked fine for my parents, I could never get a sense of home since both of their houses were new. The little taste of not being comfortable with my home is nothing compared to what college students that don’t have even one home have to deal with.

I believe there should be an easy way students can reach out for help from their colleges. Eleanor Bader reported on ways professors try to help students and what should be readily available for them. The education system would have more success stories if only they could give resources to students in need.