The Partnership for College Completion (PCC) and Young Invincibles (YI) are coming together to lead the Illinois College Student Basic Needs Task Force to address and advance policies and practices that reduce student basic needs insecurity statewide.
The Illinois College Student Basic Needs Task Force will conduct an assessment of current supports, including collecting data from campuses and state agencies to document prevalent resources, gaps, and opportunities to improve Illinois students’ access to resources. The task force’s initial convening will be Tuesday, March 31, at Malcolm X College in Chicago. The discussion will lay the foundation for how the lack of access to supports providing needs such as food, housing, childcare, transportation, and emergency aid limits a student’s ability to attend–let alone complete–college.
The task force will release a final report in Fall 2027 on the state of student basic needs in Illinois, providing an overview across institutions and systems. Building on these findings, the task force will identify and advance actionable policy and practice recommendations, working with partners and stakeholders to create meaningful change in how Illinois supports students’ basic needs.
In addition to PCC and YI, this task force includes:
- City Colleges of Chicago
- Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
- Illinois Department of Commerce
- Illinois Community College Board (ICCB)
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC)
- Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC)
- Women Employed
About the Partnership for College Completion
The Partnership for College Completion (PCC) champions policies, practices, and systems that increase college completion and eliminate degree completion disparities for low-income, first-generation, and students of color in Illinois – particularly Black and Latinx students.
About Young Invincibles
Young Invincibles (YI) is a national advocacy and policy nonprofit organization amplifying the voice of young people in the political process at the local, state, and federal levels. We focus on issues affecting 18- to 34-year-olds, including higher education, health care, economic security, and civic engagement. YI has offices in Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Texas.