resident, placed as runner-up in a friendly cornhole competition! She brought her athleticism and competitive spirit to a tense showdown against a Housing Navigation client.

During the educational portion, students shared their needs regarding the cost of socializing and how these expenses impact the ability to remain stably housed. The purpose of hearing from them was to create tailored responses for each of their concerns. Some students saved money on outfits by attending our clothing giveaway. Yet another resident shared life hacks to socialize on a budget like ordering water when going out which not only saves money on drinks, but also on rideshare services while preventing DUIs. Furthermore, a grad student talked about the value of hosting house parties vs. going out, since in the former you don’t have to spend on tipping service staff or anything on transportation!
 
We made sure the workshop was oriented towards supporting students’ basic needs for human connection while also providing them with a ton of resources to meet them in a smart manner. We have our Housing Navigation Admin Jeff to thank for devising a list of free/low-cost options in San Diego for college students to have fun on a budget! Immediately after the workshop, opportunities came up to put the concepts into practice. For example, one resident took advantage of the local Art Walk in Little Italy which had zero cost of admission!

50% of all food assistance in San Diego County. The vast majority of CalFresh recipients are employed, working at least one, if not multiple, low-wage jobs to make ends meet. In a county with such a high cost of living, the program is a literal lifeline.
 
Recent changes to federal policy make it mandatory for all CalFresh/SNAP recipients who are considered Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) between the ages of 18 and 64* to work or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to receive continuous food benefits. If they do not, their benefits will be capped at a total of three months within a 36-month period. That’s the equivalent of only one month of food assistance per year over three years.
 
Experts are concerned that this rule change will result in over 665,000 Californians losing CalFresh benefits. For reference, 1 in 4 San Diegans report experiencing food insecurity and 43% of community college students report not having enough to eat. Critics refer to work requirements as red tape traps that disproportionately affect people who may have irregular or limited work hours, or lack access to work opportunities such as gig workers, parents, post-secondary students, and those experiencing homelessness. With the majority of CalFresh recipients already employed, work requirements have little effect on increasing employment rates.

​There is good news for many of our students! Through a special federal waiver known as Local Programs that Increase Employability (LPIEs), the State of California has made every student in every associate's and bachelor’s degree program at every state college and university exempt from the CalFresh work requirements. This means that if you are enrolled part-time at a California Community College, California State University, or University of California in an undergraduate program, and you meet the financial requirements for eligibility, you may receive CalFresh benefits without worrying about meeting the work requirements!
 
California’s leadership has shown us how much they value higher education as a means for improving self-sufficiency and upward mobility. Keeping our students fed by eliminating a major hurdle for federal food assistance is a big first step in ending college hunger. 

​We’d like to spotlight three incredible students who came to Wesley House seeking Housing Navigation and have become regular presences at our workshops Matt, Manish, and Crystal. Most recently, they attended a Taxes 101 workshop hosted by our board member, John. We deeply appreciate their continued relationship with Wesley House after they initially received support for housing navigation. They continue to make the most of their status as a Wesley House client and motivate our team to see in each new client the potential for creating a lasting impact for our post-secondary community.
 
Once our clients resolve their initial concerns, they are welcome to continue receiving academic, career, and overall student success support from Wesley House.
 
Wesley House and our other clients have benefited from the leadership displayed by clients like Matt, Manish, and Crystal, who have stuck around. For example, Matt integrated his experience as a guest lecturer and grad student at SDSU and helped our Housing Navigator, Robert, develop the curriculum for a small business workshop. Crystal motivates clients in challenging themselves during our mock networking activities, and Manish leads by example as he maintains near-perfect attendance at our workshops.
 
Together, the collective leadership they bring creates an environment where students appreciate firsthand that while housing navigation may not be a program with instant gratification, dedication and consistency help students emerge from their housing crises as better prepared adults in the areas of financial wellness, academics, and career planning.

​Would you believe there is only one off-campus, year-round student food pantry in all of San Diego County? That pantry is located here, at Wesley House. 
 
At Wesley House, staff, volunteers, and donors take great pride in the work being done every day. The food pantry alone provides immediate relief to thousands of students every year, and that effort deserves recognition. But Wesley House offers more than just food; it also helps students access CalFresh, California’s version of SNAP or Food Stamps.
 
CalFresh/SNAP is the number one hunger-fighting program in the United States. In San Diego County, up to 50,000 college students rely on CalFresh every year, yet thousands who qualify still go without support. Many students find the application process convoluted and difficult to navigate. A 2020 study at San Diego State University found that SDSU holds the highest rate of students experiencing hunger, leading at 55%, compared to UCSD at 44%, and community colleges at 40%. The same study further found that 20% of students reported their health as not good, and 48% reported finding their academic issues traumatic or difficult to handle.
 
If students are hungry, stressed, and anxious, the percentage of CalFresh applications significantly declines, leaving potentially hundreds of dollars of food assistance on the table.
 
To complicate matters, recent policy changes that began on April 1, 2026, are already having harmful effects. Many legally present individuals, including asylees, refugees, survivors of violence, and victims of sexual trafficking are losing eligibility.
 
Beginning in June 2026, new work requirements will make access even more difficult, and the application process will be more arduous to complete. Individuals who cannot work a minimum of 80 hours per month will be limited to just three months of benefits every three years. 
 
These changes will heavily impact veterans, people experiencing homelessness, former foster youth, parents, and especially students. Many students cannot consistently work 20 hours per week due to academic schedules, internships, and other responsibilities. As a result, more people will lose benefits, increasing pressure on already-strained food pantries like ours.
 
The consequences could be severe:

• Increased food insecurity,
• Higher risks of homelessness,
• Chronic illness,
• Long-term impacts on education,
• Decreased economic stability.

 
Despite these challenges, Wesley House continues to serve the community by providing nutritious meals, CalFresh support, housing, and advocacy. Student hunger is often overlooked or ignored because people don’t believe it exists. But it does. Every week, hundreds of students come to our pantry because they need it. 
 
The good news is that people are showing up every day to help students succeed and build a better, healthier, and stronger future. In 2025, over 400 community members volunteered their time in our food pantry and we received funding from foundations and corporations like The Jewish Community Foundation and Albertsons to expand our food assistance services.
 
Would you like to be a part of the solution? Be the change these students need. Support student success in San Diego!

In 2026, students are increasingly aware that housing is central to their success in school, as professionals, and as heads of households. Through our Housing Navigation program, rental assistance is an impactful source of support toward which clients work to become eligible. However, we have seen a shift from immediate crisis resolution to long-term financial literacy as the most powerful tool to secure stable housing. Here is a snapshot of how our program acts as a wrap-around hub of measurable student success.

Several clients approached us recently with longer-term barriers to employment. A major requirement for students to receive financial rental assistance is to demonstrate their potential for self-sustainability. Housing Navigation channels resources to help clients increase their income through various channels and education.

​A first stop is our in-house scholarship workshops hosted virtually, and scholarship bootcamps to help students apply for funding. Although scholarships don’t provide an immediate boost to income, the intention is to encourage students to be as resourceful as they can: There is always something you can do to increase your income and secure a home.

In addition to scholarship workshops, our Housing Navigator, Robert, cultivates and stewards access to on- and off-campus resources for students who need help meeting their basic needs. This includes leads on affordable rental units, tailored job leads, resume-building workshops, and one-on-one interview preparation sessions. In addition, students gain access to resources like our food pantry and other organizations that provide essential supports.

Workshops and income generation activities are complemented by financial education. A partnership with the organization TYME (Teaching Youth Monetary Empowerment) provides expert financial literacy education through workshops and one-on-one sessions hosted by their Executive Director, Frida Tillman. Students learn the ins-and-outs of responsible budgeting to complement their efforts to increase their income.
 
With Housing Navigation, clients can resolve their concerns about childcare, food insecurity, clothing, technology, and financial aid delays. We maintain a steady presence for clients who are working through various personal and academic challenges so that they have the resources they need when they need them to complete their academic journeys.