EWU to Host Basic Needs Symposium

EWU’s Counseling and Wellness Services is spearheading a Basic Needs Symposium to connect students with resources to mitigate hardship and keep them on track to graduate.

The symposium, to be held from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, will highlight the state of basic needs on campus, presenting research data along with personal stories and helpful resources.

Emily Migliazzo, EWU’s basic needs navigator, says the events will be helpful to students and to faculty and staff who want to learn more about food and housing insecurity impacts. She hopes that faculty will provide incentives for students to attend this educational event.

“We know that 42% of our students experience food insecurity and 10% have been homeless during their time here,” says Migliazzo, adding that about 38% of Eastern students have experienced some type of housing insecurity. “So, what we want is to get is the stories behind the numbers – because data only goes so far.”

 

To get the stories behind the numbers, Migliazzo reached out to students who have needed and received help that supported their success and asked them to share their experiences with the campus community.

Kari Nelson and Jessica Clemons are among five student panelists sharing personal stories in the hope of inspiring larger conversations and encouraging others to seek help when tough times strike.

Clemons, a 33-year-old single mother of four who lives in Spokane Valley, is set to graduate in June with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a minor in environmental sustainability education.

Last winter, a roommate moved away with just a few days of notice, leaving her short of the funds needed to pay December’s entire rent bill. Although she juggles a part-time job with EWU’s Transition to Teaching program with odd jobs and filling in at a friend’s contract mail office, she was in danger of falling behind and losing her housing.

Migliazzo helped Clemons apply for emergency funding. EWU has several emergency funds, some of which are supported by donations to the university, including funds from the recent Swoop In and Make it Yours Fundraiser. The emergency fund Clemons was eligible for is called SSEH or Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness. This fund is meant for students who need assistance maintaining or obtaining stable housing and is funded by the Washington State Legislature through lobbying efforts by Washington Student Achievement Council.

“I genuinely don’t know what I would have done otherwise. I would have ended up having to move right before Christmas, with all of my kids,” Clemons says.

The help, along with picking up extra work and receiving a few food supplies from the EWU Food Pantry, provided the “boost” she needed to remain stable while student teaching at a Spokane Valley elementary school and working toward finalizing her degree and launching a career as an educator.

Nelson, also 33, is a first-year graduate student in the master’s program for Urban and Regional Planning. A collection of hardships hit at once when her father died and she lost her job, right after getting accepted at Eastern.

Nelson inherited her family home, which is in the West Central neighborhood. Unfortunately, her father had been disabled and had fallen behind on repairs, leaving his daughter with a home that had no running water and needing a complete overhaul of the plumbing system, which will cost about $78,000.

As she lived with another family member, the house sat empty and Nelson dealt with break-ins. Neighbors tried to help by calling Spokane Police. After responding several times, the police warned that ongoing calls coming from anyone other than the homeowner could label the house as “nuisance.”

“That meant moving in as-is with no plumbing, no nothing,” Nelson says.

Standing between Nelson and a habitable home were bills for nominal utilities charges that accrued over a year – even though electricity and water had been shut off while the home was vacant – and the acquisition of a home insurance policy. Both were prerequisites for charitable repairs to take place.

So, she made two consecutive requests for help from the Student Emergency Fund.

“I cried. I didn’t think [Eastern] would help me to the degree they did the first time – and I definitely didn’t think they would help me a second time,” Nelson says.

Nelson is grateful for the donors who make gifts to support the Student Emergency Fund and to Migliazzo, saying “What Emily does is awesome.”

Today, Nelson balances a part-time job as a tutor for EWU’s PLUS program with a part-time retail position while juggling classes and still living in a house with no plumbing.

Thanks to the support from the SSEH fund that caught her up on utility bills and covered a basic homeowner’s policy, she was recently approved for a grant from SNAP and a low-interest loan from the City of Spokane to get the plumbing work underway.

As an urban planner, Nelson hopes to make a difference for individuals and communities by finding solutions to homelessness, knowing situations are varied and that far too many people lack the resources to thrive.

“I’ve seen how even very small changes to your situation can have cascading consequences,” Nelson says. “If things had turned out just a little bit differently, I would be homeless.”

SYMPOSIUM DETAILS

All events will be held inside the PUB’s Nysether Community Room.

Resource Fair | 10 a.m.

20 local organizations offer solutions to basic needs insecurity, ranging from financial support to peer counselling and legal aid.

Investigating Basic Needs at EWU | 10:30 a.m.

Basic Needs Navigator Emily Migliazzo will provide an overview of basic needs insecurity at Eastern and resources available to help. This event is for faculty, staff and students.

Accessing Tools for College and Beyond | 11:15 a.m.

Disability Action Center NE Washington will highlight programs to help disabled folks live independently, access support and make sense of public benefits program.

Cultural Community Support | 11:45 a.m.

Nuestras Raíces discuss services they offer to students and community members including scholarships, mentoring and financial aid.

Know Your Rights | 12:30 p.m.

Learn from a local housing lawyer about what to look for in a lease, the responsibilities of your landlord, and other need-to-knows when rending for the first time.

Public Transit 101 | 1 p.m.

Special Mobility Services will provide navigational tips to help you get the most of EWU’s free bus fair.

Basic Needs and the Whole Student | 2:30 p.m.

EWU’s Director of Counseling and Wellness discusses campus-wide Wellness Initiative and how it connects to basic needs.

*More information and a schedule of the day’s events can be found online.