Mission Statement

Our mission is to make New York a State where all college students’ basic needs are met, especially food, housing, and mental health. We strive to equitably, effectively, and collectively bring an end to postsecondary housing insecurity and homelessness, food insecurity and hunger, and the lack of access to quality mental health resources.

Our Members

New York State Basic Needs Coalition Policy Agenda

1. Housing Liaison Bill 
   1. Nearly 15 percent of New York’s public college students experienced homelessness even before Covid. As more New Yorkers are on the brink of losing their housing, students need campus-level support to help navigate the financial aid process and campus resources while collecting critical information about the number of students experiencing homelessness on campus. States like California, Maine, and Tennessee have all passed legislation creating liaisons to help unhoused college students. New York should follow suit and create liaisons at CUNY and SUNY. 
   2. 2023 bill text and status
2. Invest in Campus Mental Health Counseling 
   1. To support students and their ability to persist in college, state lawmakers must increase their investment in mental health counseling on public college campuses, at CUNY and SUNY schools, and guarantee at least one counselor for every 1,000 students, with a priority for hiring more BIPOC counselors to reflect CUNY’s diversity and offer more culturally affirming care. These additional counselors can help improve postsecondary completion and success while addressing students’ emotional wellness and illness, mental health crises, promoting healthy habits and overcoming pervasive stigmas that prevent students from accessing therapy or mental health professionals.
   2. 2023 bill text and status
3. Hunger-Free Campus Act 
   1. This grant program provides funding for colleges and universities to build the campus infrastructure to meet student needs better. Some form of this bill has been passed in CA, NJ, MD, MA, LA, OK, MN and PA. 
   2. 2023 bill text and status
4. 988 (Suicide Prevention Hot Line number) on the back of all student IDs

• New York’s Higher Education Basic Needs Coalition Commends Historic SUNY Investments in Student Mental Health, Housing Security, and Anti-Hunger (June 2, 2023)

Get Involved

• If you’re interested in joining our coalition or learning more about how to support our New York college students’ basic needs, please contact Sean Miller, Northeast Regional Director at Young Invincibles (sean.miller@younginvincibles.org). 
• For updates on our work, follow Young Invinibcles on social media (click below)