A final report from the Needs Study of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus, found that 9% of surveyed students have experienced homelessness at some point, while 30% said they faced housing insecurity in the last 30 days. Students living with housing insecurity said rising rent or mortgage payments made it hard to pay.
Some did not pay or paid less than they owed, while others did not fully pay for utilities such as electricity, water and gas. Other students said they had moved twice or more, or had gone to live with other people for a short period because of financial difficulties. Some lived with more people than the home or lodging could accommodate.
The report defines housing insecurity as having difficulty paying rent, a mortgage or basic utilities, and also includes those forced to move or to live with more people than a dwelling can hold. The report states that the increase in costs, combined with the lack of residential spaces for the student community due to the closure of lodgings at the Río Piedras campus, has forced many students to leave the university.
The researchers urge the UPR to systematically collect its students’ needs and warn that the institution is going through its "worst historical crossroads."