Michigan college students battling hunger will find it easier to get food assistance from the government, the state announced Tuesday.

Under a new rule a provision that banned students from being eligible for food assistance unless they were working at least 20 hours in addition to going to school will no longer apply to students enrolled in career and technical education programs. The Michigan departments of Health and Human Services and Labor and Economic Opportunity announced the move.

“Hunger is a problem on college campuses even in good times,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said in an interview with the Free Press. 

The state had been working on getting the change made for several months, but the covid crisis “increased our sense of urgency,” Gordon said.

The rule previously said students enrolled who attended school at least half-time were not eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, even if they met income eligibility requirements, unless they met special qualifications, like working at least 20 hours per week, caring for a child or being unable to work.Now that rule no longer applies to students in the Career and Technical Education programs – although it continues to apply to other college students.

“The students are doing everything they can to better themselves,” Gordon said. “They are writing to us and saying I lost my job and now I can’t get food assistance.”

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Basically students then had to decide — stay in school and not have enough money to eat or drop out of college and get help so they could afford food.

That will change, effective immediately. Students will now be eligible for SNAP if they meet income requirements and are enrolled at least half-time in an occupational program that falls under what is known as Perkins V. 

That provides funding to 28 community colleges, three public universities and one tribal college in Michigan, the state said. The goal of the program is to help students find jobs in areas that don’t need a bachelor’s degree, but do need some sort of certification and post high school training. The state’s qualifying schools offer more than 3,600 qualifying programs, in fields like information technology, health care, hospitality and manufacturing.

There are 88,458 students enrolled in these programs in Michigan. Schools that are Perkins’ schools include Henry Ford College, Macomb Community College, Oakland Community, Schoolcraft Community College and Wayne County Community College District.

“There’s lots of evidence that students who are battling hunger have a hard time graduating,” Gordon said. “The change will help Michigan students put food on the table.”

Food insecurity is defined as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such food in a socially acceptable manner, according to a 2019 study by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. The study found that “during the 30 days preceding the survey, approximately 42% of survey respondents attending two-year institutions experienced food insecurity, with 17% assessed at the low level and 25% at the very low level of food security.”

The study’s survey of community college students showed 44% agreed with “I worried whether my food would run out before I got money to buy more.”

In addition to helping students get fed, state officials said the program would help the state’s continued push for more adults with some sort of post-secondary credential to help the economy.

“Supporting (careeer/tech) students, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only helps them upskill for in-demand jobs, it also helps Michigan employers fill critical job openings that support our economic future,” said LEO Director Jeff Donofrio in a statement,

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj

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