Henry Ford College joins Open Door initiative for student basic needs support

Henry Ford College has joined the Open Door initiative, a collaborative effort between the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees program, Henry Ford College, Wayne State University, and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. The Open Door initiative will provide students with basic needs support through a dedicated United Way navigator helping students access referrals and community resources to assist with issues like financial emergencies, childcare needs, food insecurity, and more. The initiative will focus on helping students who are part of the Detroit Promise, Detroit Reconnect, and Michigan Reconnect programs, though all students who need help are encouraged to utilize the services and will be given the same type of assistance.

According to an article on Henry Ford College’s website, David M. Knezek, Jr., the college’s president, was quoted as saying of the initiative, “When you hear that Open Door focuses on Detroit Promise, Detroit Reconnect, and Michigan Reconnect students, you should know that these students are at the core of the communities we proudly serve. Here is what these students have taught us: Tuition-free does not mean cost-free. A scholarship covers education costs – and that’s incredibly important. But it cannot cover a car repair. It can’t cover a month of child care, a security deposit, or the lost wages when a student’s hours get cut at work. And what we see, again and again, is a student who is doing fine in their classes, and then something happens that has nothing to do with school, their education gets put on pause, and the momentum they were building is lost. They didn't give up on their goals; life got in the way.”

On Henry Ford College’s campus, there will be a dedicated Open Door space where students will meet with a United Way navigator to discuss their needs and figure out a path forward. Once the navigator connects students with assistance, the navigator will stay in touch with the student to make sure solutions to their problems have been found. Students will be made aware of the availability of the Open Door initiative through on-campus promotion. 

The college already has student resources in place, Knezek noted, but the Open Door initiative will take things further to ensure students are truly receiving the assistance they need. He said, “We have a food pantry and counselors and outreach staff who work incredibly hard for our students. But our students need and deserve more – supports that don't always fit neatly into singular program or support. Simply providing them a list of external resources and referrals isn't enough.”

Henry Ford College is home to more than 600 Detroit Promise students and a large population of Michigan Reconnect students, which are students who return to school past typical college student age and are often juggling raising a family, working a full-time job, and having other responsibilities. 

“Henry Ford College would not exist if not for our community. Open Door and this new partnership with the United Way is the kind of program that will define how we show up for our students, so they can continue to show up for themselves in all the ways that matter,” said Knezek.

For more information about Henry Ford College, visit the school’s website.