Early Bird

Student Care Center launches Single Stop

Connecting Roadrunners with public benefits and resources.

By Josie Lavender

February 1, 2021

Asking for help isn’t always easy, especially when it’s unclear what resources are available. Single Stop, a nonprofit organization that aims to reduce poverty and promote economic mobility, removes the guesswork from public benefits and quickly allows people to view what governmental and nonprofit services they may be eligible to receive. Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Student Care Center now offers Single Stop as a resource to all Roadrunners.

Students can use Single Stop to directly assess eligibility for state, local and federal public benefits through a quick and simple online survey. Once completing the survey, students will be contacted by a case manager within the Student Care Center who will offer holistic support.

“Single Stop is going to provide a really easy one-stop resource for faculty to refer their students to when they need financial or other supports to stay in school,” said Will Simpkins, Ed.D., vice president for Student Affairs.

The Student Care Center encourages students to reach out with questions and is available to offer insight into common misconceptions surrounding public benefits. In most cases, it takes only 30-40 minutes to get eligibility results, and some resources such as Medicaid offer instant approval confirmation. Once students complete the survey, they can then decide if they want to pursue applying for public benefits on their own or with support from a case manager in the Student Care Center.

Additionally, Single Stop strives to eliminate the stigma, shame or guilt people can experience in asking for support. In fact, the program was initiated in response to a surplus of unused public-benefit funds. If a student is struggling, there’s plenty of help to go around.

Finally, the SingleStop survey is secure. Applicant information is not stored through a third-party system. Instead, it’s hosted directly through the University site and remains with the Student Care Center team.

“Research shows that supporting students with public assistance – welfare – helps students stay in school, get a degree, and can move their families out of generational poverty,” said Simpkins. “Our expert case managers in the Student Care Center will provide the advocacy and support students need to manage their classes and their benefits.”

Faculty and staff members are encouraged to promote the Student Care Center and encourage students in need to check out the Single Stop application.