Community College Roadshow: A Scalability Grant for LA County Colleges

Affordable housing and homelessness

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) faces a housing crisis that threatens student success: 67% of its students experience housing insecurity - an increase of 12% since 2016 (shorturl.at/E4vrk). These challenges are especially acute for low-income, first-generation, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC students. Housing insecurity directly undermines academic success, persistence, and upward mobility. While awareness is growing, most colleges lack proven models and resources to take action. DignityMoves aims to fill this gap by expanding on the model introduced by the ELAC pilot project, providing dignified, on-campus interim housing. Through a countywide roadshow and a community-college-specific playbook, we will introduce, adapt, and help implement this model across multiple campuses.

Our project addresses the growing student housing crisis by scaling DignityMoves’ interim housing model based on the pilot at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) to other community colleges throughout Los Angeles County. Through a structured Community College Roadshow, we will introduce this model to 4–5 campuses, including Long Beach City College, Compton College, and LACCD schools. Each campus will receive tailored technical assistance and strategic consultation to implement its own program.
We will guide participating colleges through key elements of early-stage development, including campus and community engagement strategies, site identification and feasibility, service provider partnerships, and alignment with public funding sources. By providing a ready-to-use framework and real-time support, we lower the barriers for colleges seeking to respond to student homelessness but lacking internal capacity.
Our goals are to secure commitments from at least 2 campuses to move forward with housing implementation, initiate site planning discussions, and refine our model based on feedback. Ultimately, this project builds the infrastructure for a scalable, student-informed housing solution that can be replicated across California’s 116 community colleges, positioning LA as a leader in equity-centered innovation in higher education.

If successful, this project will mark a turning point in how LA’s community colleges address student homelessness, moving from isolated efforts to a coordinated, scalable solution. It will catalyze action by equipping colleges with the tools and guidance needed to create on-campus housing that supports educational achievement. The result will be more students housed, increased graduation rates, and a growing countywide movement to normalize housing as a core part of student success. Over time, this model can expand statewide, creating systemic change in how higher education supports housing-insecure students.