[Important Information for Students] Fwd: News Release: SUNY Chancellor King Launches Additional Programs to Assist with Housing, Food, and Transportation Insecurity

Fri Jan 2 16:43:22 UTC 2026

Dear Campus Community,

As we prepare for the spring semester, I want to share an important message
from SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. regarding new and expanded
system-wide efforts to support students experiencing housing, food, and
transportation insecurity.

These initiatives build on SUNY’s ongoing commitment to student success by
addressing basic needs that can directly impact persistence, well-being,
and academic achievement. SUNY Plattsburgh is proud to be part of a system
that continues to prioritize the whole student and invest in meaningful
supports that help remove barriers to completion.

On our campus, students can continue to access the most current information
about available support services, including food access, housing-related
resources, and other assistance, on the Student Support page
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/student-support/index.html> of our
website.

Please see Chancellor King’s message below for additional details.

Thank you for the important work you do each day in support of our students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Alexander Enyedi
President

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: SUNY Communications <communications at suny.edu>
Date: Fri, Jan 2, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Subject: News Release: SUNY Chancellor King Launches Additional Programs to
Assist with Housing, Food, and Transportation Insecurity
To: <SUNYPIO-L at ls.sysadm.suny.edu>

*For Immediate Release: Friday, January 2, 2026*

Contact: Holly Liapis, Holly.Liapis at suny.edu, (518) 477-0757

*SUNY Chancellor King Launches Additional Programs to Assist with Housing,
Food, and Transportation Insecurity*

*Efforts Build on SUNY’s Statewide Investments to Expand Resources for
Students; Ten Campuses Selected to Participate*

*Fact Sheets Outlining SUNY's Commitment to Basic Needs Available **Here*
<https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/news/Basic-Needs-Support-factsheet-2025.pdf>*
and **Here*
<https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/news/Food-Insecurity-factsheet-2025.pdf>

*Albany, NY* – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr.
today announced basic needs programs to assist students further with
housing, food, and transportation support. The initiatives will take place
across 18 SUNY campuses during the Spring 2026 semester and will be
evaluated for further expansion. Under the leadership of the SUNY Board of
Trustees and Chancellor King, SUNY has ramped up support for students over
the past three years by providing sustainable ongoing investments in mental
health and wellness services, addressing food insecurity, improving
transportation access, and requiring all campuses to identify a homeless
liaison with clearly defined responsibilities to identify and support
students who are unhoused or at risk of housing insecurity.

“At SUNY we are committed to equipping our students with all the resources
that they need to succeed in their studies and achieve their dreams,”* said
SUNY Chancellor King.* “This means providing affordable academic
excellence, while also ensuring that our students have access to essential
support such as food, housing, and transportation. I thank Governor Kathy
Hochul and the State Legislature for their continued support in expanding
the resources that help our students thrive.”

*SUNY Trustee Eunice A. Lewin and SUNY Trustee Luca O. Rallis, Co-Chairs of
the Student Life Committee, said, *“For students to flourish and achieve
academic excellence, they need support both inside and outside of the
classroom. That is why we are committed to advancing initiatives that
ensure our students receive the resources they deserve. Thanks to the
support of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, we are able to do
more every year to address these barriers and increase access to essential
resources.”

*State Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Toby Ann Stavisky
said,* “Students
cannot focus on learning if they are worried about where they will sleep,
when they will eat, or how they will get to class. These expanded SUNY
programs recognize that housing, food, and transportation are essential to
student success. By meeting students on their campus and removing these
barriers, we are giving more New Yorkers a real chance to stay enrolled,
complete their degrees, and build a stable future.”

*Increasing Food Lockers *

Every SUNY Campus has a food pantry or stigma-free food access available to
all students, and SUNY dedicates $1 million in ongoing operating expenses
<https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/9-23/9-6-23/> each year to
support initiatives to address food insecurity on all State-operated
campuses and, beginning this academic year, $550,000 in assistance for SUNY
community college food pantries. Food lockers can supplement the work of
food pantries by providing students with the ability to pick up fresh
refrigerated food after-hours. Last year, SUNY began its food locker
program with *Finger Lakes Community College*,* Monroe Community
College*, *SUNY
Plattsburgh*, *SUNY Polytechnic Institute*, and * SUNY Potsdam*. This year,
food lockers will be added at *SUNY Erie* and *Westchester Community
College*.

*Continuing to Address Housing Insecurity*

SUNY homeless liaisons have been in place on each campus since 2023 to
ensure students experiencing homelessness receive the academic, financial,
and wraparound support they need to succeed and thrive. SUNY is partnering
with national experts at SchoolHouse Connection to provide individualized
technical assistance for how campuses can meet the needs of students facing
housing insecurity.

This year, SUNY’s partnership with SchoolHouse Connection will include
intensive support for campuses to implement projects to address housing
insecurity:

   - *SUNY Fredonia* is developing new, student-centered approaches to
   address housing insecurity and related needs. The campus is working to
   address gap housing, intake processes, and coordination with community
   agencies to support students experiencing homelessness or housing
   instability.
   - *SUNY Old Westbury *is focusing on gap housing needs during the winter
   and summer sessions, establishing early identification and case management
   procedures, and providing additional supports for the Office of Residential
   Life to fulfill these needs on an ongoing basis.
   - *SUNY Oswego *has updated its housing policy so students can apply to
   live on campus throughout the academic year without additional charges. In
   addition, the campus will provide housing and dining scholarships during
   the summer break to support students experiencing housing insecurity. SUNY
   Oswego will develop further strategies to address potential gaps in
   services and improve critical student services and support.

*Filling Transportation Gaps*

Five SUNY campuses will receive a SUNY grant of up to $50,000 to develop,
improve, and implement plans to increase transportation access to all
students, decreasing the number of students reporting transportation as a
barrier to academic success. Those campuses include: *Corning Community
College*, *Dutchess Community College*, *SUNY Orange*, *SUNY Potsdam*,
and *Purchase
College*. The plans focus on expanding access to public transportation,
primarily in partnership with local governments and transit agencies.

Last year, five SUNY campuses – *Herkimer Community College*, *Jamestown
Community College*, *SUNY Cortland*, *SUNY Oneonta*, and *SUNY* * Old
Westbury* – were early participants in this program. They are collaborating
with local leaders on county transportation master plans to increase
service to areas where students live, purchasing bus trackers, and
increasing communication to resolve issues and enhance services for
students.

*About the State University of New York*

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of
higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New
Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and
universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers,
five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the
country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of
optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital
literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory.
In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of
credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education,
and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic
research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5
billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from
students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni
worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY
alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu
<https://www.suny.edu/>.

###

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