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Helping Students Meet Their Basic Needs

UMatter helps meet students basic needs by providing resources and referrals for food, housing, and financial insecurity.

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What are Basic Needs?

Each year The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice conducts a national survey to gather data on students’ basic needs.

The Hope Center defines basic needs as “access to nutritious and sufficient food; safe, secure, and adequate housing – to sleep, to study, to cook, and to shower; healthcare to promote sustained mental and physical well-being; affordable technology and transportation; resources for personal hygiene; and childcare and related needs.”

Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such food in a socially acceptable manner. The most extreme form is often accompanied by physiological sensations of hunger.

Housing insecurity encompasses a broad set of challenges that prevent someone from having a safe, affordable, and consistent place to live.

Homelessness means that a person does not have a fixed, regular, and adequate place to live. Students facing homelessness may be living with a friend, couch-surfing, sleeping in campus buildings, etc.

Essential Resources for Basic Needs

In need of housing, food, or other assistance? We're here to help guide you in getting the support you need.
Move-in boxes on the sidewalk with people nearby

Emergency Housing Program

The Emergency Housing Program supports students facing housing insecurity or homelessness. UMatter case managers can help students find resources for housing. Interested students can complete the emergency housing application. After hours, please contact UPD at (662) 915-7234, and UMatter will follow up the next business day.

Emergency Housing Application
Grove Grocery shelves with canned goods, one of many offerings

Grove Grocery

Serving as the University’s food pantry, we provide free access to nutritious food, snacks, and hygiene items for students facing food insecurity. Our mission is to ensure that all members of the campus community have the resources they need to thrive.

Explore Grove Grocery
Student writing with a mechanical pencil and textbook

Lyceum Locker

Lyceum Locker is the University’s dedicated school supply closet, offering a wide range of free educational resources to support students throughout their academic journey. Our mission is to eliminate financial barriers and empower students to focus on their studies without worrying about the cost of supplies.

Explore Lyceum Locker

Additional Resources for Basic Needs

Discover additional resources to support basic needs in and around Oxford.

Emergency housing is available for currently enrolled students who are homeless (e.g., couch surfing, sleeping in a car, etc.). Students enrolled in a future term may also be considered.
  • Up to two weeks of housing at the Village Apartments on campus
    • A brief extension may be granted in limited circumstances if space is available
  • Lost cost of $22.80 per night billed to Bursar
    • Can apply for emergency funding to help cover the cost, but funding is not guaranteed

These resources are designed for emergencies only. 

Interfaith Compassion Ministry


LIFT, Inc.
  • Financial assistance with rent and utility payments
  • Must be a resident of Lafayette County
  • Call 662-238-6222


Salvation Army


Doors of Hope
  • Services for families with children
  • Emergency assistance and housing in place
  • Visit their website for additional details and the emergency assistance application
  • Call 662-234-1100 or complete a contact form on their website.

 

Red Shield Lodge – Tupelo, MS
  • 527 Carnation St., Tupelo, MS 38804
  • Call 662-842-9222
  • Emergency shelter that offers meals and a safe place to sleep


Memphis Union Mission – Memphis, TN

UM Law School Housing Clinic
  • Legal assistance with eviction or other landlord/tenant concerns
  • Call 662-915-3493

Lyceum Locker
  • Supplies are available to fill in the gaps for students who are unable to purchase all the supplies they need.

SNAP
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), check your eligibility here. Sign-up for SNAP here. If you would like assistance with SNAP contact the Abbie Austin (Basic Needs Case Manager).

Grove Grocery
  • On-Campus food pantry for students and staff located in Kinard 213. 

Meal Swipe Program
  • A temporary assistance program sponsored by the Grove Grocery, Aramark, and community-donated meals. This is a short term assistance program that can allocate up to 30 meal swipes per semester to students, faculty, and staff in need.
  • Meals received through this program can only be used at Rebel Market and the RC South Dining facility (swipes cannot be used in Student Union or Pavilion Dining).

The Pantry
  • Once-monthly food for four people, Wednesday and Thursday 9–11, located at 711 Molly Barr Rd.
    • Proof of residency needed, subject to income eligibility requirements

Local Little Free Pantry Locations
  • Go to here to download the little free pantry locations on Apple Maps.

Free Clothing Vouchers
  • The Salvation Army of Oxford has partnered with UMatter to provide $25 clothing vouchers to use at the local Salvation Army in Oxford on clothes and shoes. If you are in need of a clothing voucher, please Abbie Austin (Basic Needs Case Manager).

 

Career Closet

  • The Career Closet hosted by the Career Center at the University of Mississippi is a program that allows our students to obtain professional attire for career fairs, networking events, internships, interviews, and other career-related occasions.

St. Peter's Rise & Shine Community 

  • Breakfast Monday and Thursday 6:45–8:15 am, can eat in or carry out

Dinner and Fellowship for All

  • Wednesdays at St. Peter's 6:30–7:30 pm

Family Fellowship Supper 

  • Wednesday North Oxford Baptist at 5 pm (late August–May)

More Than a Meal

Abbie Austin

Here to Help

Case manager Abbie Austin specializes in helping students with basic needs. Leading with compassion and a knack for creatively maximizing resources, Abbie is ready to help students in a variety of circumstances.

Abbie Austin

Case Manager