Student Housing Security Initiative
Are you a student in need of accessing free washers and dryers?
Affordable housing for college students is needed in Fort Collins.
With a shortage of such housing, a number of students are housing insecure or homeless. LuMin is working to respond to the need in our community. Our initiatives for 2023 include:
- Providing free access to newly installed washers and dryers at LuMin so that students can wash their clothing
Low-income students can schedule a time to bring over laundry to do their wash and have access to snacks, showers, and WiFi while they wait.
- Opening up our chapel as free storage for students who find themselves displaced during the semester
Short-term housing insecurity often happens during the semester for students who are just getting by on a couch or living out of their car and that option runs out. Since we are lucky enough to have a building with room to spare, we open that space up as storage if a student needs to put their personal property somewhere during a transition in housing.
- Providing reduced and subsidized housing to students for the 2023-2024 school year and beyond
For the 2023-2024 school year, we have placed twenty-one financially challenged students in affordable housing and are providing additional assistance with a grant to subsidize the cost of rent. In addition, we will provide mentors from the Fort Collins community, establish peer support groups, and help connect students to other assistance through a social work intern.
- After several years of studying student housing insecurity and offering limited support, we hope to:
identify, recognize and listen to this often invisible population;
surround students with peer and community support;
continue to learn from students what is needed to respond to long-term student housing insecurity, and;
continue to partner with Colorado State University and the Fort Collins community in responding to this need.
Ways YOU can support the initiative right now:
Provide a meal on a Tuesday night when students in the initiative gather together
Donate money to LuMin and designate it towards our Student Housing Initiative
Giving a gift of $1500 will subsidize a student's rent for a year!
This video contains more information about the program from a Zoom call with Pastor Paul and other community members.