Rep. Jimmy Panetta Secures New Federal Funding Supporting Cabrillo College Student Success
Santa Cruz, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) secured $633,334 in federal funding for Cabrillo College’s ongoing work to improve student wellbeing through a one-stop NEST Resource Center. Funding was secured through the U.S. Department of Education’s Basic Needs - Supporting Student Success Program.
The three-year grant will help Cabrillo College’s Nourishment and Essential Supports Team (NEST) Resource Center improve students’ social, emotional, academic, and career development by creating a more deliberate and centralized College navigation system for students to connect them with resources for food, housing, transport, and technology, as well as health and wellness services.
This ‘Single Stop’ model in the NEST Resource Center will allow NEST program staff to comprehensively serve students’ basic needs with wraparound support services and follow up. The NEST Resource Center staff will also conduct wellness coaching with Cabrillo students to connect them with resources that enable health and behavioral changes to improve their overall well-being.
“For many college students in our 19th Congressional District, the cost of living can make it difficult to attend school full time and get on with their careers,” said Rep. Panetta. “This federal funding will allow Cabrillo College’s one-stop NEST Resource Center to better assist students in navigating available community resources, provide counseling, and a supportive environment. This federal investment is another important step to help ensure students’ success in the classroom and in our community.”
“Cabrillo students are experiencing the most extreme levels of housing and food insecurity due to a severe shortage of affordable housing and the extremely high cost of living in Santa Cruz County,” said Matt Wetstein, Cabrillo President and Superintendent. “We are grateful for this grant, which will allow our NEST Resource Center to become a one-stop resource for our students, connecting them with the basic needs that often become a barrier to completion.”
As part of the grant activities, Cabrillo staff will partner with community partners such as Second Harvest and Salud Para La Gente to refer students to more stable and sustainable food and healthcare resources. Cabrillo NEST staff will also continue to work with the Santa Cruz County Continuum of Care partners to address housing insecurity.
The grant outcomes include increasing the number of students served at the Aptos and Watsonville NEST Resource Centers, as well as increasing the number of online students served by an online food ordering system. The grant will also increase the number of underrepresented students served with basic needs grants by 300%, thereby increasing the persistence, completion, graduation, and/or transfer rates of underrepresented students receiving basic needs assistance. The grant will also connect 300 additional students with health, mental health, and accessibility services.
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