The Relationship between Basic Needs Center Resources and the Retention of Community College Students

Food insecurity, housing insecurity, and homelessness are pervasive issues within the United States. Research conducted to understand the extent to which college students specifically experience food and housing insecurity indicates a relationship between unmet basic needs and negative educational outcomes. Both higher education institutions and policymakers have implemented programs and resources to combat basic needs insecurity among college students, but there is a lack of data on whether these targeted interventions are improving student success. This quantitative study sought to understand what relationship, if any, existed between students' utilization of a community college basic needs center's resources and their retention. Findings from a logistic regression analysis revealed that students who utilized basic needs center resources showed an increased likelihood of both within-course retention and fall-to-spring retention. These findings support recent California legislation targeted at mitigating basic needs insecurity among community college students and provide a rationalization for the broader integration of basic needs center resources at California Community Colleges. The study also took an important step in understanding how state-mandated programs and services may support the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office's "Vision for Success" and its Student-Centered Funding Formula as it seeks to incentivize student retention and academic achievement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]