NBC 7’s Danielle Radin heads to Southwestern College where students are getting a lesson in the uncertainty that comes with being homeless.
According to a survey, 80 percent of students at Southwestern College in Chula Vista have experienced food insecurity, or not knowing where their next meal will come from, or know someone who has.
That's why the school held an event Tuesday showing students what it is like to have to live out of a car. A demo car was parked on campus, inside was a sleeping bag, school books, a guitar and other things a typical student would own.
"We've helped students about to be evicted or living on the street," said Patte Bartow, director of the Child Development Center at Southwestern College. "We just want to raise awareness that some people have to live like this."
At the event, students were welcome to take free food and clothing.
A number of students might find themselves homeless for different reasons, including legal issues. Trevor Huckaby, a student at Southwestern College, is homeless because a restraining order makes it so that he can’t legally go to his house.
“I don’t have any friends or family here I can stay with,” said Huckaby at the event Tuesday. “I slept on the streets in Imperial Beach last night.”
Southwestern College has a food pantry available for students in need and serves breakfast Monday through Thursday. They also have emergency grants for students about to be evicted.
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"We don't want them to lose hope," Bartow added.
