The SUNY system is renewing its efforts to help students in need get access to the basic necessities and tools to help them succeed, with efforts at 17 campuses statewide in the upcoming semester.

Across the State University of New York system, campuses offer individual programs aimed at helping students with limited money stay fed, afford their housing costs and access transportation to get them to campus and back home. In the new year, SUNY is coordinating a push at a handful of campuses that could be expanded upon later.

To start, SUNY is dedicating $550,000 in assistance for community college food pantries, and has helped launch food programs at colleges including SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh. That comes on top of the regular $1 million ongoing support SUNY offers for on-campus food programs. Every SUNY campus has a food pantry available for students.

To help students get access to housing, SUNY has partnered with a nonprofit organization to address homelessness among students. Part of that partnership led to SUNY Oswego adjusting its housing policies to allow students to apply for free on-campus housing for the academic year, and provide housing and dining scholarships for students who don’t have a home to go to in the summer. Since 2023, SUNY has had homelessness liaisons on each campus in the system.

For transportation, five campuses including SUNY Potsdam will get a grant of up to $50,000 to develop and implement plans to increase access to transportation for their students. Last year, five other campuses undertook the same program, implementing plans now to connect students with local public transportation more seamlessly.

“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,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said in a statement. “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 Hochul and the State Legislature for their continued support in expanding the resources that help our students thrive.”