CINCINNATI — For University of Cincinnati alumna Ronay Lyons, getting a college degree seemed like an unattainable dream at one point.
"Being able to afford opportunities to any and everyone is important," she said. "You know, section 8 — I was a qualifying person for that."
With financial support to bolster her ambition, she’s now a proud first-generation UC graduate looking to advocate for others.
Lyons is getting help from Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), who announced details of his newly-introduced legislation, H.R. 8925, or the Campus Housing Affordability Act.
HAPPENING NOW: Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Cincinnati) is announcing bipartisan legislative efforts to make college housing more accessible to low-income students @WCPO pic.twitter.com/U7z3bJ1Caa
— Connor Steffen | WCPO (@ConnorSteffenTV) July 8, 2024
The legislation would allow eligible students to access the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program — or section 8 housing vouchers — to pay for on- and off-campus housing.
Currently, those with vouchers are unable to do so, and according to Landsman, have to live "all the way off campus," which he describes as an "isolating experience."
"It will significantly impact first generation students and students that are aging out of foster care," Landsman said. "So, this is one of the things we believe will make a big difference in changing outcomes and opportunities."
A lack of stable housing serves a real barrier for more college students than one would think.
A recent national survey found 48% of college students face housing insecurity, while 14% reported experiencing homelessness, according to the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia.
"I have plenty of friends, counterparts who — just that last $2,000 of the bill from housing — had to leave their educational goals [to the side] because of a lack of funds," Lyons said.
As it stands, 27% of UC’s campus student body make-up is students of color, while 18% are first-generation students, according to university President Neville Pinto.
"For these students, a college education holds the power to elevate not just themselves, but generations who will follow in their footsteps," Pinto said.
“It's actually adding to our community and allowing more students to get these opportunities," Lyons said. "I think that is why this is important."
The Campus Housing Affordability Act by webeditors on Scribd
Landsman is one of three congressmen to co-sponsor the legislation: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).
We looked into that status of the legislation, and according to the Congressional Record, it's been assigned to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services.
"It's really important to keep granting opportunities to students that otherwise wouldn't have them," Lyons said. "We need to keep doing that."
