Reedley College is one of the few community colleges in California that has offered on-campus housing for its students. The college in the rural Central Valley has offered housing to its students for over 50 years.
Credit: Emma Gallegos
Community college leaders across California are asking lawmakers to reconsider changes made in this year’s state budget to how student housing projects are funded, saying the amendments jeopardize their ability to build new affordable housing.
As part of the 2023-24 budget agreement, the state is requiring community colleges to use local revenue bonds to pay for construction costs for new affordable housing projects under a student housing grant program originally unveiled in 2021. The state is also requiring the University of California and California State University to issue their own bonds to pay for projects on their campuses.
Previously, the state planned to award grants from the…
