Oakland Community College partners with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for student support services
The partnership aims to help students stay in school and succeed in their education by helping to address access to their basic needs, including food, housing, and childcare.
Oakland Community College and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have formed a partnership that will assist students in finding and accessing support for their basic needs, including food, shelter, and childcare. By addressing these needs, the partnership strives to help students stay in school thanks to some of the barriers to their education being reduced.
According to an article on Oakland Community College’s website, Kristine Evans, counselor at the college, noted that students may not even be aware of the support services they can receive. Evans is quoted as saying, “Having this service at OCC means more students can get the assistance they need without having to travel throughout the county, and they can fit an appointment around their class schedule. If any of our students need help making this connection, OCC counselors are happy to assist them to get started.”
The types of services that MDHHS can help provide to Oakland Community College students include cash assistance, food assistance, childcare funding, and help with health and medical expenses. Specialists are available to help students find out if they are eligible for these assistance programs and to help them apply. Students can meet with an MDHHS specialist virtually or in person on campus.
Robin Ford, an Eligibility Specialist with MDHHS, said, “Since we launched this program, most of the requests have been for cash assistance to pay for utilities and transportation, rent and food assistance. Many OCC students are employed while attending school so they can’t work as much to get ahead: they are trying to balance both. We’ve been able to help.”
For more information about Oakland Community College, visit the school’s website.