March is Women's History Month, which means it's a perfect time to discuss an issue faced by homeless women that often goes without consideration and many shy away from talking about due to stigma — menstruation and access to menstrual products while homeless. The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that on a single night in January, 39% of the homeless population consisted of women. Fewer than 1% identified as transgender or gender-nonconforming, and a percentage of those individuals likely deal with menstruation as well. Though we think of menstruation of a strictly female issue, not all women menstruate and not everyone who menstruates identifies as a woman. All of the individuals reported this night ranged in age from under 18 to over 24; on average, a person who menstruates will do so from the ages of 12 to 51, making it safe to assume that a significant number of those reported homeless de...
Wayne State University's First Lady, Jacqueline Wilson, established the HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program to ensure that students do not have to choose between financing basic necessities and earning a degree. The Program provides resources for students-in-need, such as housing support, textbook and other school suppliers, clothing, transportation, and child-care assistance.