Food and housing insecurity is a growing problem among college students, and Katharine M. Broton is looking for solutions.

Broton, an assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Education's Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, has teamed up with researchers from Temple University and the University of Houston to evaluate food and housing supports for students in three U.S. cities: Boston, Houston, and Tacoma.

The project , the first of its kind to evaluate basic needs security interventions, is supported by a $550,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation, of which $66,165 will go to the University of Iowa.

A white paper explaining the research project was presented Sept. 26 at the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Leadership Congress in Las Vegas. To read the white paper, please visit the website of the Wisconsin Hope Lab, the nation's only translational research lab focusing on issues of college affordability and equity.

A recent report by the HOPE Lab found that over half (56 percent) of students at 70 community colleges were food insecure, with many students saying they worry about their food supply. Students also reported feeling insecure about their living arrangements, as indicated by housing instability (35 percent), or outright homelessness (14 percent).