With the boom of students in Tallahassee comes the struggle of housing insecurity. Several thousand students are admitted to FSU, FAMU, and TSC every year. The insufficient number of dorms, high-cost apartments, and lack of housing space leave low-income students frantically debating how they’ll be able to afford living next semester.
Housing insecurity for college students isn’t uncommon. In 2021, 195,000 college students were surveyed on their housing situations, and it was found that around 50% struggle with homelessness and housing insecurity. Most students who face this crisis struggle to complete their degrees and deal with other issues, such as mental health and lower GPAs.
In Tallahassee, the average rent for college apartments is $900 a month, a number that keeps rising every year. In addition, dorming in a suite-style room at FSU can cost around $1,000 a month, for a room shared with a roommate and a bathroom shared with neighbors.
There may be a solution for low-income students at FSU: the Southern Scholarship Foundation (SSF).
Residents are granted rent-free housing, meaning they only pay for utilities and services. On average, residents pay about $1,000 for an entire semester, with a payment plan available. That bill covers utilities, house groceries, four house dinners, and social events.
To keep the house running and clean, residents are assigned a chore on Mondays and Thursdays, a rotational bathroom cleaning on Wednesdays, a rotational weekend chore, and are required to cook or clean the kitchen once a week. Residents must also attend a monthly house meeting.
SSF fosters leadership and supportive friendships. Residents can run for numerous leadership positions in the house, such as House Manager, President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, Business Manager, House Liaison, and Social Chair. Houses have their own socials, encourage everyone to eat dinner together, and attend SSF-wide socials.
SSF hosts a semester kick-off event as well as a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Weekly newsletters are sent out with reminders of upcoming socials, advertisements for FSU clubs that residents are officers for, and resources like mental health advising. There is a study hall for residents, a sort of gazebo, and a firepit. Residents’ mail is sent to the SSF office, which is a very short walk from the houses, and there are paid and unpaid positions available at the office for residents as well.
Houses have different layouts: some have communal bathrooms, some have two floors, and some have study rooms — no two houses are the same. Some are set in a suite style: two people share a room, two rooms share a bathroom, and the House Manager (SSF’s version of an RA) gets their own room. The houses are just one crosswalk away from campus.Â
Although having several chores a week may not be all glitz and glam, it’s a reasonable trade for this incredibly affordable housing opportunity for low-income students. It beats the housing prices for both on and off campus, and SSF works hard to make it a friendly and supportive community.
Applications for Fall 2025 are open now. Early admissions close March 15, with final applications closing April 1. Please note: proof of low-income from FAFSA is required to apply.
For a newly admitted resident, it may be hard to find information about SSF, creating unnecessary anxiety about the new living situation. Thankfully, the website and social media are now more updated this semester, which shows the kind of environment you’ll be exposed to! Nonetheless, I hope this article brings awareness to this option and helps put interested students at ease, now knowing what to expect!
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