Basic Needs Assistance

Use this form to apply/request:

Financial Emergency Grant Funds – one-time emergency grant due to a crisis/emergency situation.
Housing Navigation Support – longer-term housing resource.
Basic Needs Cards—Food, Gas, Hygiene or Clothing Gift Cards.
Food Resources- CalFresh Application Assistance.

Eligibility Criteria:

Be an enrolled Mt. SAC student during the current academic year. Students in “active status” enrolling in the upcoming semester or session may be considered.
Are part-time or full-time credit students or noncredit students*.
Undocumented, DACA, and international students are eligible.
Experiencing an unforeseen emergency/crisis that impacts student success such as:
- Displacement/homelessness: living in your automobile, living in a motel/hotel, shelter, streets, abandoned buildings, or temporarily staying with friends or family.
- An unexpected loss of job or income.
- An uninsured medical or dental emergency.
- Victim of a crime or accident.
Committed to working on an action plan with the Basic Needs Resources Program.

Apply for Assistance

* may not be eligible for all services

Financial Emergency Grant

Program Overview

Basic Needs Emergency Grants support student success by providing a one-time grant of up to $1,000 to assist with an unforeseen emergency, crisis, or catastrophic event. The aim is to serve students in a timely manner with quick access to the funds. We also connect students with other necessary resources to assist their needs.

Eligibility

Be an enrolled student during the current academic year. Students in “active status” enrolling in the upcoming semester may be considered.
Ability to demonstrate urgent financial need with supporting documentation.
Experiencing an unforeseen emergency/crisis that impacts student success such as:
- Displacement/homeless: living in your car, living in motel/hotel, shelter, streets or temporarily staying with friends or family.
- An uninsured medical or dental emergency.
- Victim of a crime or accident.
- Automobile trouble.
- Daycare/childcare challenges.
Committed to working on an action plan with the Basic Needs Resources team.

Please note that these funds are limited and we are not able to meet the needs of every student who applies. We are prioritizing students who have limited or no access to other financial resources, including financial aid support.

Apply for emergency grant Emergency Grant Review Process:

Upon completion of this form, you will receive a confirmation message indicating that you have scheduled an initial appointment.
Your application is randomly assigned to a Basic Needs Resources Program staff member who will have an initial 30 minute meeting with you.
The purpose of the initial meeting is to become more familiar with your situation, connect you with additional resources based on your situation as well as collect information to assess for eligibility of services that you are requesting.
Once your initial meeting is complete the information is reviewed by the Basic Needs Staff and Leadership team.
You will be contacted via email about the status of your grant once your initial meeting has been completed.

College Focused Rapid Rehousing

Jovenes Inc. in partnership with Mt. San Antonio College offers the College Success Initiative which is temporary and longer-term housing and supportive services to students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Jovenes is able to address student homelessness while providing Mt. SAC students the necessary housing resources to help them succeed in school.

Types of services:

Services will vary based on the needs of each individual– some requiring ongoing wrap-around support, others requiring one time time rental assistance. Services* can fall into any of the three categories below:

Housing Identification and Emergency Placement
Rent and Move‐In Assistance
Ongoing Rental Assistance, Case Management, and Supportive Services

* Student Eligibility Requirement exist

Sycamores, A Better Life in partnership with Mt. San Antonio College offers Community College Homeless Liaison Service. The Community College Homeless Liaison’s role is to support college students of any age, attending Mt. San Antonio College, who are currently experiencing homelessness, or those who are at risk of experiencing homelessness and are geographically located in the Pomona, San Gabriel Valley and Pasadena areas (SPA 3).

The Liaison will work with students to:

Assess their situation
Provide partnership towards problem solving possible resolutions of their situation
Offer any resources or connections that could help

The Liaison can also help connect eligible students to the greater LAHSA Coordinated Entry System.

Complete an assistance application

Basic Needs Cards

Short Term Support

The Basic Needs Cards provides short term, immediate, assistance to students who are seeking food, gas, transportation, clothing, or hygiene support. Students may be able to receive up to gift cards for Stater Bros, Vons, Cardenas, Chevron, Walmart, CVS, Grubhub, Uber, Denny’s, Autozone, or Target (not all options may be available at any time during the semester).

You can request only once a semester/session, up to four times a year (fall, winter, spring, and summer) for this support.

Food Resources - CalFresh Application Assistance

CalFresh is a nutrition assistance program that helps low-income individuals and families buy the food they need.
CalFresh dollars help stretch a tight food budget and help many people afford to incorporate healthy foods like fruits and vegetables into their diets.
CalFresh is the name of the USDA-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the state of California. Recipients receive and “spend” CalFresh benefits electronically, via personal Golden State Advantage electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards that look just like any other credit or debit cards.