A San Jose State program for basic student needs partially opened its first centralized office in Clark Hall Room 140 in the past month.
SJSU Cares, which operates under the university’s division of student affairs, provides food, housing, mental health, medical and emergency assistance to students, according to its webpage.
Catherine Voss Plaxton, associate vice president of health, wellness and student services, said the SJSU Cares staff addresses basic needs through case appointments, follow ups and office hours in the group’s new location.
The office in Clark Hall is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“[The program provides] a range of basic needs resources, such as educational materials and workshops, direct student aid for unforeseen emergencies and interactions with service partners will be provided from the SJSU Cares space,” Voss Plaxton said in an email.
Communications senior Steven Nguyen reached out to SJSU Cares for information about COVID-19 grants and said not many students know about the resources SJSU Cares offers.
“It’s a 50/50 situation where some people know [about SJSU Cares] and some don’t,” Nguyen said.
Voss Plaxton said she expects the new location will allow easier access to the program’s resources compared to when the SJSU Cares team worked at separate locations across campus.
“The new suite in Clark Hall is highly visible to students attending classes, using the computer lab, visiting EOP or other adjacent student services offices,” she said. “I expect this move will generate visibility for SJSU Cares services and the ability to reach more students who need assistance.”
Voss Plaxton said the new location will operate at full capacity once student assistants are onboarded, which she anticipates to hire by the end of October.
She also said the office is expanding by adding two basic needs managers and two case managers.
“The new case managers will grow student outreach and holistic support,” Voss Plaxton said.
SJSU Cares also operates the Spartan Food Pantry, which is open to registered students experiencing food insecurity or hunger with a gross annual income of $30,268 or less, according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
The Spartan Food Pantry is located in the Student Union and is open Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
Public relations junior Autumn Blue said she learned about SJSU Cares through her ASPIRE program advisor when she planned to return to San Jose.
The ASPIRE program is a federally-funded SJSU program that assists underrepresented students with financial aid, class scheduling and academic and career advising, according to the SJSU ASPIRE webpage.
Blue said she was able to get help applying for CalFresh through SJSU Cares, which is partnered with the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley food bank to provide application assistance to students in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, according to the SJSU Cares webpage.
“I was going independent from my parents,” Blue said. “I was trying to find any way to help me financially and CalFresh is great for [students] who are independent and can use a bit of help with groceries.”
The CalFresh program is a state-supervised food program that provides monthly food aid to those who’re low income, according to the California Department of Social Services website.
Voss Plaxton said while the new office space was funded by SJSU investments and California State University grants, SJSU Cares and the Spartan Food Pantry are partially student-run and she encourages student involvement.
“I and the SJSU Cares team welcome feedback and co-design participation on the range of basic needs services from all students including those affiliated with the Student Homeless Alliance,” she said.
Steven Nguyen said he likes SJSU Cares not only because of the aid the program provides to students but because of the people who work for the program.
“I like the SJSU Cares because [it has] nice people and people who like to help others,” Nguyen said. “[They’re] great souls and great human beings.”
