FEATURED BILL: ADDRESSING NONACADEMIC BARRIERS TO SUCCESS

Studies show that 4 in 10 students at two-year colleges face food insecurity and almost half experience housing insecurity and homelessness. Obviously, worries about food and housing can drastically affect students’ attendance and performance in college.

That’s why Sen. Crawford introduced the bill Addressing Nonacademic Barriers to Success in April. The bill would create a grant program to improve the availability and accessibility of mental and behavioral health services, affordable housing, healthy nutrition, affordable health insurance, and legal services to community college students.

The grant program would provide up to $150,000 to 10 community colleges statewide. With women constituting the majority of community college students, this bill would provide critical support to many North Carolinian women as they seek academic success.