California Community Colleges

Year: 2023

California’s community college system is recognized as the best in the nation in terms of offering quality, affordable education that improves outcomes for its diverse and underserved population. Yet the state’s affordable housing crisis threatens access to the benefits of affordable higher education. California’s 116 community colleges have historically depended upon local, privately-owned housing for their students; the 12 that currently offer on-campus housing provide just 2,321 beds in a system of 1.8 million students. In 2022, the state appropriated significant funding for planning and construction of affordable student housing, gathering proposals from 70% of the community colleges. This report comprises an evaluation of the existing student housing, an analysis of current proposals to the state, interviews with key facilities staff at community colleges, and a survey of emerging design models for affordable student housing. Together, this permits an evaluation of the success of the appropriations, how community colleges are responding, and whether policies and funding could be made more effective.