Danielle* knew the white envelope taped to her front door could not be good news. Her roommate had left the month prior. She was trying to find a new roommate, the first of the month had come and gone and she was only able to pay her half of the rent.

To make things worse, the February “snowpocalypse” had kept her from working a few of her shifts. Money was extra tight.

She was nearly done with the early childhood development certification at Highline College that her employer was paying for. But with a 3-day “pay or vacate” notice, all of that was at risk. Without a place to stay, the 32-year old would not be able to continue both work and school successfully. And, at this point, the two were intertwined: dropping out of school would compromise her employment.

Luckily, she reached out to the Benefits Hub team on campus. She had heard about their food pantry and other services, but until now, she hadn’t been in the position of needing help.

With just a 3-day eviction notice, the clock was ticking. The Benefits Hub team quickly assessed that Danielle’s situation was sustainable if she could just get some one-time help. They also assisted with an emergency grant to pay her back rent—first with a promissory note, then by cutting a check.

Danielle’s commitment to her studies went uninterrupted, her employer was not aware of the hiccup—and she is on track to complete the certification next month.

Benefits Hub is all about breaking the cycle of poverty by helping low-income college students succeed. At local campuses, 9% of students are homeless, 36% report they don’t know where their next meal will come from and 71% who drop out say they do so because they have to choose between work and school. You can support students like Danielle with a donation.

*Our student’s name has been changed to protect her identity.