Open For the Semester

trojan pic.jpg

Sent on September 9, 2020

Dear Trojan Shelter community,

I hope you are safe and getting some breaks in between Zoom meetings. Trojan Shelter is happy to announce that we have opened for the Fall semester. We are so excited be welcoming new residents into the shelter after a long summer of planning and restructuring. We would like to update the Trojan Shelter community about some of the changes we've undergone in the past couple of months. Buckle in, this is a long one!

I'm most excited to introduce our new e-board. After a two month transition program beginning last February, our new Directors moved into their positions in April! Click on the names to learn a little about us!

While learning to operate during a global pandemic was challenging, we were proud to still be upholding our mission at a time when student homelessness was skyrocketing. A study by the HOPE Center for College, Community, and Justice found that between April and May 2020, 3 in 5 college students across the country were experiencing basic need insecurity and 15% of students at 4-year institutions were experiencing homelessness due to the pandemic. More information on the changes in student needs and resources available to help can be found in the original report. 

This summer, we reevaluated our space's set-up and made adjustments to ensure a COVID-conscious arrangement.
Here are some of the changes we have implemented: 

  • 2 full-time RAs will be living in Trojan Shelter instead of our usual rotating volunteers

  • 3 residents were admitted for the semester in order to allow social distancing and reduce risk

  • Face coverings will be necessary in common areas

  • COVID testing will be required for move-in and if symptoms are found

  • An isolation space has been prepared should someone get sick and need to quarantine away from the other residents

  • Read a more complete list of policy changes here.

We will still be providing home-cooked meals, casework, and a friendly community to all of our residents. Some of our e-board members have even been working on beginning virtual Career Workshops with industry professionals for our residents. We are proud to still be serving LA students while staying safe. If you or someone you know would like to be involved in our Mentorship/Career workshops, please email trojanshelter@gmail.com for more information.

We have also been recruiting new student volunteers who will be engaging in advocacy and fundraising campaigns this semester. We are looking forward to expanding our team and continuing to involve and inform more USC students on the issue of student homelessness.

Finally, we were incredibly proud of the Trojan Shelter community in June when we held a fundraiser for Campaign Zero, an organization which does research and identifies solutions for police violence. After Trojan Shelter matched a portion of donations and the total donations were matched by another company, we raised a total of $9,267. Incredible! Trojan Shelter's community has been continuously generous in the past and has helped us create a better space for our students. Moving forward, we anticipate more COVID related costs and would like to be prepared. If you are able and willing, we'd love more donations from our network to help us continue to keep our operations safe and running. You can find our ongoing crowdfunding campaign below:

If you know anyone who would like to sign up for our newsletters, send them this link!

Sincerely,
Navyada Koshatwar
Director of Media
media.trojanshelter@gmail.com

Director of Media Trojan Shelter