Pioneers for H.O.P.E.

Pioneers for H.O.P.E (Helping Our Pioneers Excel) California State University, East Bay's new intervention program will address the Chancellor's food and housing security initiatives to include wide-ranging efforts to immediately serve some of our most-at risk students facing homelessness, food insecurity, and other various crisis situations.

Basic Need Initiatives:  Meeting students' basic needs everyday.

The program aims to provide at-risk students with meals temporary housing assistance, emergency funds and referrals to resources that correlate to students's success, health and wellness. The H.O.P.E. Advisory Board, with representatives from various departments on campus, has met to implement support for student starting Fall 2016 to include:

1. An annual giving campaign for monetary donations.
2. The opening of two campus food pantries in collaboration with the Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano for the Concord campus.
3. Donation drives for students to include career clothing, toiletries, seasonal drives for coats and socks, etc.
4. Establish an emergency intervention fund to support students in need of emergency assistance.
5. Identify sources of temporary housing for students in need. The goal of Pioneers for HOPE is to give at-risk students hope by addressing their most basic needs first and eliminating barriers to allow student to focus on academic success and increase student retention.

(The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Subtitle B of Title VII)

Homeless defined as a lack of fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including:

• Sharing the housing of others due or "couch surfing"
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, camping grounds
• Living in emergency or transitional shelters
• Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live
• Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandards housing, bus or train stations, or a similar setting