Skyline College is 1 of 6 community and technical colleges nationwide selected to receive a 3 year grant for a pilot program aimed at connecting low-income students with public benefits and services.

“The saying is there’s a lot of money that gets left on the table because they don’t take advantage of the benefits available to them,” says Skyline President Dr. Regina Stanback-Stroud.

The $4.84 million Benefits Access for College Completion initiative will link students with public benefit programs and services in order to increase student success and retention. The funds are being managed by the Center for Law and Social Policy, Inc. and the American Association of Community Colleges which have already been divided and allocated among the colleges.

“There are lots of public benefits that are available to people throughout this nation but for whatever reason whether is lack of information, or lack of knowledge, or lack of access Californians leave a lot of those benefits on the table,” said Dr. Stanback-Stroud.

According to Dēmos a non-partisan public policy research and advocacy organization, full-time community college students from low income families averaged $6,544 of unmet basic needs per year including healthcare and food assistance.

Dēmos also reports that 66 percent of students work more than 20 hours per week to keep up with living and school expenses. But their research indicates that full-time enrollment and part-time employment of less that 15 hours per week provides the optimal situation for young students to concentrate on their studies and finish their degree.

Besides the financial needs of school in which FAFSA can aid in, there are a number of other underlying issues a student might encounter that can affect their degree completion.

The initiative will be led by SparkPoint who is partnered with the United Way of the Bay Area will be working with multiple departments within the college to reach students.

“Traditionally, colleges have worked with students to access financial aid resources that are available through federal and state financial aid programs administered through the colleges,” said William Watson, director of Sparkpoint. “This project is designed to connect eligible students to public benefits available through other agencies.”

The pilot period for this initiative will last this semester through 2014. The Benefits Access, policymakers and other community colleges nationwide will then meet to share the most successful strategies and lessons learned to improve student retention and credential completion.