Institution Cerritos College State California Academic Level Associate Issue Area Support Services Website http://cerritos.edu/falcons-nest Key Personnel Pamela Sepulveda Overview Cerritos College is an HSI that serves ten cities, including those that are upwards of 95% Latino residents. Its basic needs programs provide centralized services for students experiencing need insecurity through on- and off-campus resources, community collaboration, and advocacy efforts that ensure educational success. The primary goal of The Village is to ensure unhoused students are linked to stable housing and that housing-insecure students are provided stability to prevent them from losing housing. Overall, Cerritos College’s housing programs seek to increase the proportion of participants with an education plan to 100% to support students’ degree and certificate completion; shorten Black/African American and Latino students’ time to completion; and expand the housing programs through continuous evaluation to reach underserved student populations. Program Description In 2020, Cerritos College expanded an already existing partnership with Jovenes, Inc. to develop The Village, California’s first community college housing project exclusively for homeless students. Located near campus, the project features seven townhomes with a mix of free and affordable rentals for students 18-25 years old. The program recognizes the importance of building a community of trust with their Latino students by providing them housing alongside holistic support, such as one-on-one counseling and legal services. Their additional programs serve older students and those with dependents and also attempts to prevent housing loss by offering up to 6 months of rental subsidies. They continue to expand with consideration for cultural influences on the household structures of their diverse student body. Outcome Cerritos College found that participants maintain a higher GPA, complete their programs faster, and are more likely to transfer than non-participants of their housing programs. Unlike cohort-based programs, those at The Village are able to enter and exit the program throughout the year. Latino participants have a higher start GPA and gain 0.16 grade points and have an exit GPA of 2.8. This is compared to a 2.0 GPA for non-participating Latino students and 1.8 among all non-participants. For degree or certificate attainment, 25% of Latino participants earned an award within their first two years compared to 10% of Latino non-participants and 15% of all non-participating students. Of Latino participants 14% have matriculated at 4-year institutions. Campus-wide, the transfer-out rate is 11%. Educational plans mapping course requirements prove to be an effective measure of program participants: 93% of Latino participants, and of all participants, have an educational plan versus 74% of non-participating Latino students and 68% of all non-participants that have an educational plan. Learn more about Latino College Completion in California Return to Growing What Works Database
