In the Summer of 2021, the South Orange County Community College District (District or SOCCCD) engaged Scion Advisory Services (Scion) to complete a Student Housing Feasibility Study (Study). The objective of the Study, which started in 2021 before the passage of California Senate Bill 169 (SB169), was to evaluate readiness and quantify demand for student housing at both the Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College campuses. The District’s primary goal was to explore the viability of affordable student housing to address significant housing insecurity experienced by many SOCCCD students.
Scion conducted campus-centered analyses to quantitatively and qualitatively assess demand and student preferences for housing at each campus. The analysis began with a review of each campus and the district’s strategic objectives and vision for potential housing. Stakeholder meetings, student focus groups, off-campus market analyses and a student survey were conducted for each campus. Both colleges, the District, and students expressed readiness to embrace the transition to a residential campus, a key component for the success of first-time housing. Conclusions from the quantitative data analyses determined that sufficient demand existed at each campus to support further evaluation and potential development of student housing.
While the Study was underway, the California legislature proposed and then passed SB169, which initially allocated two billion dollars to be dispersed between the three California higher education systems to explore, plan, and develop affordable student housing. The State developed an application process for awarding the allocated funds. Scion, in collaboration with the District, drafted the application for Saddleback College, which submitted an application in January 2023, Round 2 of 3 application windows. Later that year, in June 2023, Scion led the development of Irvine Valley College’s application.
As applicants in Rounds 2 and 3, neither College was ultimately awarded funds because of the state deficit and the shift in budget priorities, which significantly reduced the total dollars available for applicants in those rounds. Both Colleges are currently exploring alternative options for providing affordable student housing to Saddleback and Irvine Valley College students.