A growing body of research shows that the primary barriers to postsecondary attainment are nonacademic: challenges like food insecurity, housing instability, transportation limitations, and unmet mental health needs. Recognizing the link between basic needs insecurity and worsened academic outcomes, higher education institutions are proactively investing in holistic supports.

Through the Community to Opportunity Initiative, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges convened six colleges in a funded learning network focused on building, expanding, and sustaining holistic student supports. By reducing nonacademic barriers and aligning support systems, participating colleges sought to improve student persistence, completion, and long-term economic mobility. The initiative created structured opportunities for the six colleges to share strategies, troubleshoot together, and build on each other’s ideas.

Education Northwest provided technical assistance throughout the initiative, helping the colleges to develop action plans, identify service gaps, and strengthen existing campus supports. The resources on this page highlight what we learned from the initiative.

Community College Case Briefs

Building Community to Expand Opportunity for New Jersey College Students: Executive Summary

This introductory brief provides an overview of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges’ Community to Opportunity Initiative and highlights high-level findings across all participating colleges.

Transforming Your Campus to Provide Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Care

Through collaboration with students, community organizations, and government agencies, Camden County College and Hudson County Community College expanded access and strengthened trauma-informed, student-centered care systems.

Reducing Stigma to Increase Access to and Use of On-Campus Wraparound Supports

Ocean County College and Sussex County Community College used intentional outreach strategies to reduce stigma associated with help-seeking and increase student engagement with campus supports.

Increasing Awareness of Existing Social Service Programs

Essex County College and Rowan College at Burlington County leveraged proactive outreach and cross-sector partnerships to increase students' awareness of and use of public benefits.