PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Students at Temple University now have a central place to receive help with basic needs such as food, clothing and transportation.
It used to be the university bookstore, but now the first floor of Temple’s student center at 13th Street and Montgomery Avenue has been converted to the Essential Needs Hub. It’s a 30,000-square-foot space where students can address basic needs. It has a food pantry with fresh produce, a tech repair lab, a thrift store, and offers assistance with career development, financial aid and finding child care. There’s also a zen den where students can meditate.
Vice President for Student Affairs Jodi Bailey Accavallo said t-shirts are $1, pants are $2 and sweaters are $3.
“The money that we raise in the thrift store goes back into the student emergency fund so that we can get books and clothing and things like that for students who are in acute need," she said.
And you don’t have to be a Temple student; the center is open to the community.
“Everybody who's at the front desk is trained in trauma-informed intake so that when you come in you never feel like you're asking for help. Somebody's already understanding and asking the questions in a way that makes you feel soothed and seen,” Bailey said.
The center, which opened for the fall semester, originally bore Christopher and Julie Barnett’s names, but those names were removed a month ago after Temple stepped away from his $55 million gift amid a federal investigation into his company.
