Norwalk educators are connecting college students with resources to highlight Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
Connecticut State Community College hosted a resource fair on its Norwalk campus which was geared toward unhoused and food insecure students.
Sophie Nilsen, who is a student at the college, helped organize the event. Nilsen used her lived experience being formerly unhoused, to guide her work.
“I feel like I'm uniquely suited, now that I have housing and enough food to eat, I can now do outreach and help other people and also make them feel more comfortable as well,” Nilsen said.
Nilsen works part-time as a peer navigator, a position that allows her to help connect other students to social services like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“I actually used to be homeless and I've applied for SNAP before, and I remember when I was in that situation, it was so tough, and I just didn't know who to go to for help,” Nilsen said.
Nilsen also attends Manhattanville University in Harrison, NY, where she said she can afford to pay for student housing.
Her experience with homelessness makes it easier for other students more comfortable seeking aid, Nilsen said.
“Some people are a little bit afraid of the stigma but once I open up about what I’ve been through they know that they’re not going to be judged by me,” Nilsen said. “There's absolutely zero shame, I was literally in a similar situation. I was homeless and then I think that helps people open up more.”
Food and housing insecurity often go hand-in-hand, and event organizers, such as student engagement coordinator Amanda DeGeorge, want to make sure students in Norwalk know about available resources and ways to apply.
“While we're able to provide so much support on campus, we could only do so much,” DeGeorge said. “We have so many amazing community partners that it was great to have on campus to be able to work with students directly and help kind of refer them.”
Food insecurity acted as an impetus for the resource fair, DeGeorge said.
“We decided that, especially with the pause on SNAP benefits, that food and housing and security is a really common issue on our campus with some of our students,” DeGeorge said. “We thought it would be a great idea to put together a resource fair with a bunch of local resources that students can access on their own.”
The resource fair included 10 local social service providers including a homeless shelter, Open Doors, the Norwalk Health Department and groups to connect students with food support.
Kathy Louis-Fin, an intake specialist at Open Doors’ economic opportunity hub, wanted to connect students to financial planning and employment resources, in addition to shelter options.
One of Louis-Fin’s main goals is to help students learn whether they’re eligible for social services and benefits, and how to apply.
Her first resource fair visitor was a former Open Doors shelter resident.
“He was like, ‘Look at me. Now, I'm doing so well.’ So that's lovely to hear,” Louis-Fin said.
