The importance of engaging students on public assistance: New insights and recommendations for practice

Student engagement in institutions of higher education has become a central priority for educators and administrators. What student engagement means for a diverse student body is an important question for public institutions with justice-related missions. As social welfare policy shifts to allow more recipients of public assistance access to higher education, research regarding their engagement experiences remains scarce. To support a socioeconomically diverse student body, consistent with the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) standards, this project explores the nature of engagement among student recipients of public assistance by asking the following research questions: what forms of engagement with students on public assistance take place? Why is engaging students on public assistance important? How can we foster greater engagement with students on public assistance? To answer these questions, student and faculty focus groups are conducted. From this analysis, we highlight normative implications of engaging a socioeconomically diverse student population and present recommendations for fostering greater engagement

The Criminalization of Homelessness

Communities across the USA use anti-homeless policies to reduce the presence of homeless people. Such policies commonly criminalize behaviors associated with homelessness, such as panhandling, loitering, and sleeping outside. These policies are typically justified as a way to improve the quality of life for community members, failing to regard homeless people as part of the community. This chapter has four primary aims. First, it presents an overview of criminalization and the historical origins of anti-homeless policies. Second, it illustrates the influential factors and common arguments used to justify such policies. Third, it demonstrates how criminalization approaches do little to end homelessness or promote housing stability. Finally, it discusses alternatives to criminalization and recommendations for what social workers can do to prevent and end the use of anti-homeless policies