What most people would be surprised to know is that college students homelessness is a real issue and number of homeless students continues to rise. Most of us didn’t think about this as college students, when you couldn’t wait to go home to see your friends during winter or fall breaks. It was an exciting time, no homework or tests for a few weeks; the dorms would shut down and you were catching the first ride you could, away from your college campus to your home-sweet-home. Seldom did anyone think of the kids that may not have had a home to go to once the dorms closed for a break.
According to the DC-based National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, “In 2009, 47,204 college students applying for financial aid checked a box that identified themselves as homeless.” Today, they estimate that there are between 1 million to 1.7 million homeless youth who have run away or been asked to leave their homes. These numbers continue to grow from year to year.
Rapper Big Sean is taking on an effort to try to combat some of the homeless issues for college students in his home town of Detroit. Sean has donated $25,000 through his Sean Anderson Foundation which will create an endowment for WSU’s H.I.G.H. (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program. The H.I.G.H. Program was created in 2013 to address the issues of student homelessness at the University. They provide short-term assistance with the hopes of students sustaining long-term stability while obtaining their college degree.
The School’s press release says:
The HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program helps financially stressed students at Wayne State University reach their goal to graduate. The program provides resources for students-in-need, such as housing support, textbooks and other school supplies, clothing, transportation, and child-care assistance. The mission of the program is to ensure that no student abandons their dream of earning a degree solely because of housing or financial challenges.
The Big Sean Foundation helps struggling youth and families in his hometown of Detroit. Big Sean’s foundation provides funds to struggling families, but also offers funds to other charitable programs that are committed to combating homelessness, provide healthcare, offer arts, and other cultural and recreational programs.
Big Sean references his home town of Detroit and issues he would like to see changed many times within his music. It is great to see an artist literally ‘putting their money where their mouth is’.
http://nationalhomeless.org/issues/youth/
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
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