Expanding Social Services Supports for Students Initiative | New Jersey Council of County Colleges

Expanding Social Services Supports for Students

Too many Community College students struggle with food insecurity, homelessness, childcare issues, and mental health and wellness. These challenges limit students’ ability to stay enrolled in college and earn degrees and credentials. To address these needs, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges has partnered with statewide organizations to support the efforts of Community Colleges to provide holistic student supports so that students can succeed in their studies and complete their post-secondary credentials so they can obtain jobs and careers that provide economic mobility and contribute to the state’s prosperity.

Community toOpportunity The Every MindProject

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Community to Opportunity: Building Community to Expand Opportunity

The Tepper Foundation and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (Council) have launched an exciting new three-year initiative, Community to Opportunity: Building Community to Expand Opportunity to assist Community Colleges to strengthen holistic student supports.

During the Summer of 2022, the Council with support from the Tepper Foundation, developed a comprehensive Theory of Action for meeting Community College students’ basic needs. Now, NJ’s Community Colleges are utilizing the Theory of Action as a foundational guide to assist in developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for addressing the basic needs of students, like nonacademic barriers such as hunger, childcare, mental health and wellness, transportation, and housing.

Community to Opportunity seeks to strengthen and expand Community Colleges’ abilities to meet students’ basic needs in an effort to expand the economic mobility of students. This initiative builds on the comprehensive Theory of Action for meeting Community College students’ basic needs.

Theory of Action: A Framework for Community Colleges to Address Student’s Basic Needs

Input/Resources Community Colleges Need

Shared vision of the issue
Diverse, sustainable funding portfolio
Campus culture of care
Ongoing trainings
Invested personnel
Strong partnerships
Easily accessible services
Data tracking mechanism

Core Actions for Community Colleges to Take

Access needs
Identify/secure resources
Communicate with students about resources
Make linkages
Online services where feasible
Track student progress

Extended Outcomes for Students

Better positioned to thrive
Aware of services
Linked to services
Complete the semester
Secure resources
Needs are met

The Every Mind Project: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Community College Students

The Every Mind Project: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Community College Students

The Council and its partners, the Mental Health Association in New Jersey and the New Jersey Department of Health, are working with New Jersey’s Community Colleges to strengthen mental health services.

To date, Community College faculty, staff, and students have received evidence-based professional development to implement “train-the-trainer” models to promote long-term, sustainable mental health services to additional faculty, staff, and students, developing statewide support groups, and strengthening partnerships among Community Colleges and community-based mental health providers to ensure students have access to mental health services. 

In addition, Community Colleges create outreach campaigns, including resource folders tailored to each of their communities to help guide college faculty and staff in supporting the mental health and wellness needs of students.

Available Resources

Student Statewide and National Resources

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

988 is now the three-digit dialing code that routes callers to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (or 988 Lifeline). When people call, text, or chat with the 988 Lifeline, they are connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing 988 Lifeline network, made up of over 200 local crisis centers. These services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the United States.

Trevor Project: 1-886-488-7386

Crisis counselors are trained to answer calls, chats, or texts from young people in the LGBTQ community who reach out on this free, confidential, and secure 27/7 service when they are struggling with issues such as coming out, LGBTQ identity, depression, and suicide.

New Jersey Bet2Vet: 866-838-7654

Provides 24/7 specialized services by veterans. You can call, chat online, text or contact us on social media @njvet2vet

NJ Hopeline: 1-855-654-6735

Provides support, assessment, and, if needed, intervention in the most cooperative and least restrictive manner to New Jersey residents in emotional distress and suicidal crisis.

National Crisis Text Line: 741741

Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime. Crisis Text Line is here for any crisis. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform.

NJ Connect for Recovery: 855-652-3737

Free, confidential call line focused on helping family members and friends coping with a loved one’s substance use disorder.

Mental Health Cares: 1-866-202-HELP (4357)

MentalHealthCares in New Jersey’s behavioral health information and referral service. Our staff of specialist uses their experience and understanding of the behavioral health system to provide callers information and connect them to the behavioral health and services they need, such, as legal, housing, employment, rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient, self-help and more.

Peer Recovery Warmline: 877-292-5588

Peer Recovery Warmline (PRW) is a peer-run service providing ongoing telephone support to mental health consumers as they work towards their recovery.

211

NJ 211 provides live assistance 24 hours per day, every day of the year. Services are free, confidential, and multilingual.

There are several ways to reach these services:

by the phone (simply dial 2-1-1)
via text (send your zip code to 898-211)
email (info@nj211.org)
or chat online

Whichever method you choose, you will be communicating with a community resource specialist who has been educated about federal, state and local systems created to help people who are struggling. Our specialists have access to a resource database of over 8,800 community programs and services that assist people who need help with life’s most basic needs…. things like food, utilities, affordable housing, rental assistance, mental and physical health, substance use disorders, childcare, senior needs, legal assistance, transportation, disability services and so much more.

NJ Helps

This site will help to see if you are eligible for food assistance (SNAP), cash assistance (WFNJ/TANF or WFNJ/GA), and health Insurance (NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid). From there you can apply for services or learn about additional resources.

Learn More: https://www.njhelps.gov/