ZipAssist emergency funds ensures students are safely housed

As winter break drew closer near the end of the fall 2023 semester, Elise*, a University of Akron (UA) freshman from Cleveland, realized she might not have a place to stay from December to January.

She couldn’t return to her home — it wasn’t a healthy place for her at the time — and with the UA residence halls closed between semesters, she was running out of housing options. Elise remembered that in previous visits to UA’s ZipAssist office in Simmons Hall, she had seen information about temporary housing opportunities. She spoke with Heather Barhorst, assistant director of student basic needs, who works closely with students who come to the Campus Cupboard for food supplies. Elise learned about her options and applied for funding from the University’s Student Emergency Financial Assistance (SEFA) program and another special fund designed to help students remain in on-campus housing due to unique circumstances, like displacement, homelessness or emergency need. She was approved and was granted a temporary place to stay on campus during winter break.

“I have a lot going on at home, so it was like an escape for me to be here,” said Elise, who is undecided on a major. “It was nice just to be in my own space. It gave me more of a sense of learning how to be fully independent.

Independence is one of the goals of ZipAssist, UA’s multifaceted student advocacy and support office. ZipAssist operates the Campus Cupboard and a host of other initiatives such as financial wellness courses, parent and family relations, off-campus and commuter student assistance and the Help-A-Zip program.

ZipAssist also manages the SEFA program, which provides critical support to at-risk students who must overcome financial obstacles to persist at the University. Students who meet the eligibility criteria can receive up to $1,000 non-tuition-related emergency need. Examples of expenses that are eligible for funding include childcare, food or meals, gas, housing/rent, personal automobile expenses and utilities.

“We know that a student’s academic progress can be derailed if emergencies aren’t addressed quickly,” ZipAssist Senior Director Alison Doehring said. “That’s why the programs within ZipAssist are so important. They address not only the immediate hardship facing a student, but also get to the root cause.”

Students self-identify to ZipAssist when they need emergency funding or can be referred by a faculty or staff member through Help-A-Zip, the University’s student early alert and intervention program.

*Pseudonym was used to protect identity

Story by Jessica Whitehill