In the whirlwind of midterms, club activities, and countless assignments due at 11:59 p.m., seeking help for our most fundamental needs can fall to the back burner. The Hub Basic Needs Center is a service on campus that works to provide support to students, addressing issues related to food, housing, and financial insecurity.
The Hub emphasizes that basic needs are basic rights by initiating dialogue about the difficulties students experience every day. You’re never alone in seeking help; to prevent socioeconomic disparities that continue after you graduate, The Hub is here to create an equitable future for all Tritons.
Regardless of your background, there are resources on campus to address your specific experience. If you’ve felt unsure about where or how to find the services you need, here’s a comprehensive guide on how to navigate basic needs through The Hub!
1. In 2024, 46% of University of California undergraduates couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals. Here’s how to find food resources:
If you’ve ever been low on grocery money and needed some last-minute kitchen essentials, the Triton Food Pantry is the place for you. From lentils and rice to fresh fruits and vegetables, the pantry offers all UC San Diego students free food at the Old Student Center and One Miramar Street, both at varying hours. A new location will also open next Fall in Thurgood Marshall College. The pantries operate on a point system, where items are assigned point values and students are given 15 points every week. Also, the Food Recovery Network provides fresh produce items that have no point value, allowing you to maximize your haul.
For items that you can’t find at the pantry, The Hub has additional resources to set students up with affordable groceries. Swing by its office in the Old Student Center where you can ask about CalFresh, California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides qualifying California residents up to $298 in monthly grocery money. If you aren’t sure where to start, or if you even qualify, The Hub is there to help you navigate the application and renewal process.
For international and undocumented students, affordable groceries are within reach — The Hub provides the iTable and Yes! Food programs for similar aid. Beyond these programs, the Affordable Grocery Store Map from 2018 — albeit a bit outdated — is a great starting point for understanding local grocery options.
2. In 2024, 54% of UC undergraduates were worried they wouldn’t have enough money to cover the cost of their housing. Here’s how to get help with housing:
After your two years of guaranteed housing, finding off-campus housing can be more stressful than a CHEM 6C final. It won’t show up on your academic history, but everyone deserves an A+ in Housing 101, and the Off-Campus Housing website is there to make sure that happens. This site shows hundreds of rentals throughout La Jolla and the greater San Diego area, noting distance from campus, monthly rates, lease lengths, number of beds, and more. If you’re still in the housing trenches for the upcoming year, this website could be a lifesaver.
La Jolla’s housing prices often demand much deeper pockets than the average university student has. If you live off campus and ever find yourself in an unexpected crisis, the Basic Needs Off-Campus Housing Office offers 14 day to 30 day short-term emergency housing services. The program provides a temporary safe living space to maintain your academic life while you organize long-term housing arrangements.
3. In 2022, 29% of UC students’ academic performances were affected by depression. Here’s how you can receive physical and mental health support:
Student Health Services is placed smack-dab in the center of campus, right across from Price Center on Library Walk. Outside of short appointments treating the frat flu, the SHS can also accommodate more specialized needs. For example, any student can make an appointment for nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian for free with the UC Student Health Insurance Plan or Reduced Access Fee for Tritons, or $20 out of pocket. If you’re looking for specific support, a referral from any primary care provider will allow you to schedule an appointment.
Physical health and mental health go hand in hand, so ensuring stability in both is key to success. In the case of a mental or behavioral health emergency, requesting the Triton Compassionate Response Team when calling the UCSD Police Department dispatch or Counseling and Psychological Service is the way to go. In many community spaces, it can feel uncomfortable to call institutional services like police officers during an emergency. If you or someone close to you is experiencing an immediate behavioral health crisis while located on-campus, Triton CORE provides healthy intervention without the presence of law enforcement for your situation.
4. Here’s how to access everything in-between:
Basic needs are basic rights. Still, it can feel difficult to find services that cater to your precise needs. To help you access direct support for your exact situation, The Hub also offers a basic needs assistance form on the front of their website. Additionally, a variety of centers exist around campus to address the needs of specific cultural backgrounds, such as the International Services and Engagement Office, the Undocumented Student Services Center, the Raza Resource Centro, and more.
In an interview with The UCSD Guardian, Basic Needs Center Director Alicia Magallanes said offering assistance for basic needs is one of the “more researched indicators for breaking cycles of inequity … because just as you can create access [to higher education], you still have to have an equitable experience while you’re [there].” Changing the system and opening new doors to students of all backgrounds is a community effort. As members of the UCSD community, don’t hesitate to utilize the services available to you. Explore the resources that support your basic needs and remember it is always okay to ask for help!
