Inside a College Housing Lifeline in the Bronx

For Grace Pavlock, housing insecurity did not always look like sleeping on the street. Sometimes, she said, it meant feeling safer anywhere other than home.

Growing up in a chaotic household in Willis, Tex., Pavlock saw college as a way out. After earning an associate degree while working full-time as a receptionist, Pavlock moved to the Bronx to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the University of Mount Saint Vincent—a path she had little help navigating as a first-generation student whose family members never attended college or even graduated from high school.

But once she arrived, Pavlock faced another obstacle: figuring out where she would live. With limited financial support and student loans that didn’t cover her needs, stable housing was out of reach.

“It was one of the most depressing times in my life. I felt like I was in a hole I couldn’t get out of,” Pavlock said. “I would rather move to another state and not have stable housing than stay in a situation where I felt suffocated. I felt like leaving was the only way I was going to grow.”

“Education is the only way I’m going to be able to separate myself from my family and build a different life,” she added. “If I have to be homeless to get an education, that’s something I’m going to do.”

University of Mount Saint Vincent

A holistic model: That’s when Pavlock discovered Dax House, an all-women residence in a convent that offers monthly rent for $250, year-round housing and wraparound support. While some colleges provide emergency housing, food pantries and other basic needs services, Dax House—a partnership among the University of Mount Saint Vincent, Depaul USA and the Sisters of Charity—provides students with housing, case management and a permanent address they can use to access social services.

Pavlock is one of more than 90 students that Dax House serves annually, most of them low-income, BIPOC, female and first-generation college students.

“When I first got the call, I thought it was a scam, to be completely honest,” Pavlock said. “It felt like one of those job postings promising a million dollars for two hours of work.”

Now a junior studying public policy, Pavlock is balancing an on-campus social media job, a tech internship and a run for student government president.

“Without [Dax House], I don’t think I would be involved on campus at all,” she said. “I don’t think I’d have an internship, be in clubs or even have an on-campus job because I’d have to work full-time just to support myself. Now I’m actually able to do the things that will help progress my career.”

University of Mount Saint Vincent

Dax House operates four residences in New York City with around 20 beds total. Students who participate in the program have a 94 percent persistence rate, according to Susan Burns, president of the University of Mount Saint Vincent.

For Burns, addressing student homelessness and housing insecurity through a long-term, holistic approach is rooted in the university’s Catholic mission.

“This is not just an issue of providing a bed,” Burns said. “It’s about changing students’ trajectory and helping them prepare for the future beyond their time at the university.”

Burns noted that Dax House is primarily run by Depaul USA and the Sisters of Charity rather than the university, which she said gives students a greater sense of independence and agency than traditional campus housing.

“We wanted this to be a housing option that wasn’t run directly by the university,” she said. “Students already know what residence halls look like. This gives them an opportunity to experience greater independence while still receiving support through case management.”

University of Mount Saint Vincent

Addressing housing insecurity: Nationwide, college student homelessness remains widespread. According to data from the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, one in seven college students experience homelessness, and nearly half are housing insecure.

“On many college and university campuses, it’s still something students are afraid to talk about or disclose because they worry they’ll be seen as lesser than or not valued,” Burns said. “But it’s very real, and we’re hearing more from high school counselors who say they know their students are housing insecure and are willing to have those conversations with us. So it’s coming from all different angles.”

The goal is for college leaders to better recognize what students are carrying with them into the classroom, she said.

“Students who have housing insecurity are showing up with a different weight that can distract them and affect their ability to fully engage,” she said. “It’s our responsibility as college leaders to help address that.”

Pavlock agreed, adding that Dax House has changed what that looks like in practice.

“Having stable housing has given me a foundation to focus on the present so I can prepare for the future,” she said.

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