Many months into the pandemic, we have witnessed extraordinary economic disruption and devastation. The effects have been far-reaching and prolonged, including across higher education. On four-year college campuses, recent survey data suggests that 15 percent of students are facing homelessness due to the pandemic and 38 percent of students are experiencing food insecurity. Imagine trying to focus on school when you’re not sure where you’ll find your next meal or even if you’ll have a safe place to sleep at night. Sadly, these aren’t academic questions for millions of students. They’re an everyday reality. Yet as we take stock of the pandemic’s extraordinary toll, we’re also reminded that hunger and homelessness are challenges not just in this moment but every moment. That’s why this week we recognize National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week: to spotlight the scale of the need, identify possible solutions, and marshal public support to solve these long-standing societal challenges. Public universities also see a crucial role to play in addressing student hunger and food insecurity. To help address homelessness, Wayne State University has helped precariously housed students find housing during the pandemic through a long-running program. The university’s Helping Individuals Go Higher Program started in 2013 with the aim of helping homeless and precariously housed students persist in their studies by providing financial support and other resources.

The Sean Anderson Foundation has donated $10,000 to benefit the Wayne State University HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program. These emergency resources will benefit the program, which has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Big Sean, a native Detroiter, established the Sean Anderson Foundation to provide better opportunities for those in need. Big Sean previously exemplified his commitment to assisting young people’s lives when the foundation created a $25,000 endowment for HIGH Program in 2016. Wayne State first lady Jacqueline Wilson founded the HIGH Program in 2013, when she met a medical student who had experienced homelessness while attending school. The HIGH Program offers a strategic response to the homelessness issue on Wayne State’s campus. The program assists financially challenged, precariously housed, and homeless students reach their goal of earning their college degree.

Rapper Big Sean’s philanthropic foundation continues to support a program created to deal with student homelessness at Detroit’s Wayne State University. The school recently announced a gift of $10,000 from Sean Anderson Foundation to the HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program. The foundation created a $25,000 endowment for the program in 2016 and followed with financial gifts in 2017 and last year. The HIGH Program, created in 2013, provides short-term help to students in need to provide some stability and help them complete their degree. Big Sean, a Detroit native, formed the foundation in 2012 to help improve the quality of life for young people and their families.

Big Sean continues to put on for his city. The Detroit native donated $10,000 through his Sean Anderson Foundation to benefit Wayne State University’s HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) program. This isn’t the first time that Sean has helped out in support of the program. In 2016, the foundation created a $25,000 endowment for the program. In 2017, the foundation donated $15,000 and then followed up with $10,000 in 2018. The Sean Anderson Foundation’s executive director spoke on the impact of this commitment. “We are pleased to continue our commitment to the HIGH Program in support of its dedication to students facing hardships,” said Myra Anderson. “The HIGH Program touches the lives of students, helping them as they pursue their higher education goals.” Jacqueline Wilson, who founded the HIGH Program in 2013, said, “The Sean Anderson Foundation has been a consistent supporter of the HIGH Program through its financial support. The foundation’s resolve to provide funding helps us pursue our mission to ensure that no student abandons their dream of earning a degree at Wayne State University solely because of housing or financial challenges.”

The Sean Anderson Foundation has donated $10,000 to Wayne State University’s HIGH Program, which stands for Helping Individuals Go Higher. This is the third gift from the foundation, which is a project of Detroit rapper Big Sean, whose real name is Sean Anderson. He’s previously donated $15,000 in 2017 and $25,000 in 2016. 

The Detroit Pistons and Wayne State University announced a partnership benefitting the institution’s Helping Individuals Go Higher program, which features group ticket offers for students, faculty, staff and alumni for upcoming Pistons’ games at Little Caesars Arena featuring the L.A. Lakers (March 26), Washington Wizards (March 29) and Dallas Mavericks (April 6). They will receive TicketMaster links and promo codes via e-mail with 5% of the proceeds for each ticket sold benefitting the HIGH program.