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More than a century after its founding, the San Mateo County Community College District broke ground last week on its first-ever student dormitory, set to open in fall 2028.
But that may be too late for Jemeir Buckner, the kind of student it’s meant to serve.
“Living out here has been a struggle because the Peninsula is just extremely expensive,” said Buckner, a College of San Mateo football player who grew up about 70 miles away in Vacaville. He picks up DoorDash and Instacart work, but still can’t afford rent. He couch-surfs and sometimes sleeps in his car. “I’m drained. … I can’t stay focused in class.”
He’s far from alone. A survey conducted in 2020 by the district found that 58% of students are housing insecure, and roughly 1 in 8 have experienced homelessness. In San Mateo County — where the cost of living is more than 2 1/2 times the national average — nearly half of students say housing costs are pushing them to consider leaving school.
About 35% of students are Latino — the district’s largest demographic group, underscoring how the housing crisis disproportionately affects populations most often served by community colleges.
Rents in the new dorm are expected to range from $500 to $1,000 a month for studios to four-bedroom apartments, far below the county’s median market rate of $3,745 for apartments, according to Realtor.com.
For Michael Llanell-Vararaj, a pre-nursing student at the College of San Mateo, the connection between stable housing and college completion is personal. As a child, his family lived in subsidized housing at UC San Francisco while his father was in school. His parents emigrated from India with little money.
“My parents sacrificed everything so my dad could finish school,” Llanell-Vararaj said. “That housing made it possible for our family to stay and succeed.”
Now, as the student trustee on the district’s board, he sees similar struggles — and worse — on campus. In the morning, he frequently sees students sleeping in cars in the far corner of the parking lot and has seen one student washing up outdoors before heading to class.
“That’s when you realize housing isn’t extra,” he said. “It’s what makes school possible.”
Stories like that reflect a pattern across the country. A report from a national research center shows that 48% of college students experience housing insecurity, and 14% have experienced homelessness. Students facing those challenges are significantly less likely to complete their degrees.
Those numbers are pushing policymakers to rethink the long-held assumption that community colleges are commuter schools. In 2021, California lawmakers created the Affordable Student Housing Grant program, a competitive fund that has since supported housing projects at 17 community colleges.
The San Mateo project is one of them: an $86 million, 316-bed complex funded with $67 million from the state grant and $19 million from the community college district, designed to be self-sustaining through below-market rents.
Even with California’s relatively low community college fees — $46 per unit — the cost of attending still adds up, especially in high-cost regions like San Mateo County. The district already offers free tuition to full-time students through a pilot program approved by the state Legislature. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, who authored that bill, introduced legislation this session to make it permanent.
But for many students, tuition is only part of the equation. Housing, and the cost of staying enrolled, remains the bigger barrier.
The dorm is intended as more than just housing. The 88,000-square-foot complex will offer on-site academic and personal counseling, access to financial aid services and a resident assistant, as well as shared spaces such as a communal kitchen. District leaders envision the lobby as a one-stop hub for student services, with a health center under consideration.
 “It’s another rung of opportunity that we’re building here,” said Becker, speaking at the April 27 groundbreaking. “Like free college, affordable housing lets people who never imagined college could be in their future see it — and make it a reality. It’s an investment in our economy, our workforce and our community.”
Although located at the College of San Mateo, the dorm will serve students across the district’s three campuses — including Skyline and Cañada — with a shuttle bus planned for those commuting between sites. Eligibility rules are still being finalized, but students will likely need to enroll full time, with limits on length of stay — possibly around three years — and other requirements under consideration. Demand is expected to exceed supply, and Chancellor Melissa Moreno said she anticipates a waiting list.
“We’re often asked why a commuter school needs housing,” Moreno said. “But when you have 1,500 unhoused students, housing isn’t a perk, it’s a necessity.”
