United Way invests in programs that support individuals as they increase their earnings potential through job training or higher education. Sometimes, life gets in the way of a person’s best efforts to create a stronger foundation for their future. When unexpected events like rising housing costs, job loss or illness occur, United Way and its partners are there to assist and support students to get back on the path to success.
In 2019, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County invested in the Alamo Community Colleges’ Student Helpline. The intention was to use United Way funding to pilot how a one-stop resource line for students across all five Alamo Colleges campuses would work. Five years later, the Alamo Colleges Student Helpline has been a resounding success, connecting thousands of students to critical support in times of need.
“The helpline has become a one-stop resource for students to find help,” said Jillian Denman, Director of the Student Advocacy Center for Alamo Colleges. “We wanted to have one central number that a student could call to be able to find services across all five colleges,” she added.
Since its inception in 2020, the Alamo Colleges Student Helpline has received 58,000 calls, providing crucial support to students in need of assistance overcoming barriers to success like mental health, food insecurity, child care and more. Without support, these barriers can delay the completion of their academic goals and make it difficult for them to return to school after life-altering events.
A common roadblock students experience is an unexpected change in their life, like losing their housing or someone in their household becoming unable to work, which often results in the student stopping their education to get a job in order to pay for their family’s basic needs.
“We’re connecting them to community resources like food, shelter, clothing, transportation and child care,” said Jillian Denman. “They will call saying ‘hey my lights are about to be shut off’ or ‘I don’t have enough food’ or ‘my car broke down so I don’t have transportation’”.
With five years of support for Alamo Colleges students as a clear indicator of how successful the helpline is, in 2025 the Alamo Colleges decided to 100% fund the helpline after using United Way’s five-year funding cycle in 2019 as a way to pilot the helpline to see if it would make an impact for students.
“Through us showing our leadership the data, the need and the success of the helpline, we have been able to add two full-time supervisors and five part-time staff members which have all been funded institutionally through the colleges,” Jillian Denman added.
In 2019, the Alamo Colleges Student Helpline was selected for funding under United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County’s Strong Individuals and Families Impact work, and the helpline was launched in 2020. United Way’s Strong Individuals and Families Impact area ensures everyone has the resources they need to thrive economically and maintain personal stability through community resources like this.
If you are an Alamo Colleges Student in need of support like this, please call the student helpline at 210-486-1111. If you are not a student but in need of help with similar barriers to success like housing, child care and food insecurity, please call United Way’s 2-1-1 Helpline. 2-1-1 is available 24/7/365, free and anonymous for callers.
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Categories: Strong Individuals and Families |
