Homeless as a Result of Pursuing Grad School

I recently learned that one of the graduate students in my program (African American and African Diaspora Studies) has been homeless and is currently living in a shelter in Gary, IN. This student, Floyd Hobson, has no family that can help him financially, which is why he is homeless in his hometown. Normally, as a person attending Indiana University, he would be eligible to receive some aid (typically $1000 for the semester), but because he could not afford to enroll this semester, he does not qualify for assistance. He was "housing insecure" three years ago but assistance the support offices could offer were limited.

I do not doubt that Floyd has made mistakes; he's a student, it's part of the process. But surely none of those errors warrant the kind of penalty he is currently suffering. As a professor, I have been through grad school and know what a financial struggle it is. I know many of us have managed to make it through on less that $16K a year. But we had family that we could at least go to during the summer to cut the cost of renting an apartment; we could find easy work as clerks in stores, tutors in high schools and homes, and waitstaff in restaurants. Floyd has none of that now living in Gary during Covid. Floyd has faced situations which are incomprehensible to many of us.

I'm not hoping to fund the rest of his degree. But I hope we can pull together to help return him to some level of stability. The funds raised here will be used to get him out of the shelter and into a low-cost apartment (preferably back in Bloomington, though possibly in Gary, where the cost of living is significantly lower). Hopefully we can raise enough funds to start utilities and buy food. It would be wonderful if we could manage to provide him even a modest cushion (but I am considering that a wish rather than goal).

Homelessness is pervasive, I know. And I know many of you are saying we can't save them all. But maybe we can help save one. That's a start. A person shouldn't be penalized for pursuing an education; and yet, this seems to be exactly what has happened to this student.

If you would like to learn more about Floyd, I invite you to view his blogs at https://medium.com/@danielwarhol
He hasn't published in a few months, for obvious and understandable reasons, but this at least gives you a sense of the person you are helping to save.