Basic Needs Center

Let Us Help You Get Your Basic Needs Met

Our mission at Sierra College is to help connect you with resources to meet your basic needs so you can focus your energy on your education with fewer worries.

Find Resources for:

• Financial Support
• Food Assistance
• Health and Wellness
• Housing
• Jobs and Employment
• Student-Parent Support
• Student Technology
• Support for Students Experiencing Homelessness
• Transportation
• Various Community Resources

This page is designed to meet the basic needs of our students and the guidelines set forth by California Assembly Bill 2881/66027.81. Please contact our Basic Needs Center if any corrections, edits or updates are needed on this page.

Financial Support  

Visit Financial Aid to learn about all the various financial support options available. You can also find financial aid forms and resources. 

Food Assistance

Learn how to access free and discounted food on- and off-campus.

• The Food Pantry at Sierra College is open to all currently enrolled students experiencing food insecurity regardless of income. The Food Pantry stocks non-perishable items such as cereal, canned goods, pasta, peanut butter, etc.
• CalFresh: Most students may qualify for CalFresh. To see if you qualify, complete the CalFresh application. If you have any questions, please contact Britt Bray, Program Manager of Basic Needs and Support Services at Sierra College.

Health and Wellness  

• Student Health Services: As part of your tuition fees, we offer all students free or low-cost medical services provided by a nurse practitioner. Services include family planning/birth control, counseling, illness diagnosis/treatment, lab tests, health screenings, prescriptions, and Well Woman exams. 
• Counseling: Our counselors can help guide and support you through your educational experience. We offer career and academic planning, plus short-term personal counseling.
• Behavioral Intervention CARE Team: Our CARE Team provides coordinated support for students in distress and takes a proactive approach to address students’ concerns, including personal issues, academic progress and mental health.
  

• Free access to mental health care: Sierra College students have FREE, 24/7 access to virtual care services with TimelyCare — the virtual health and well-being platform from TimelyMD, designed for college students. Students do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services.
• Hygiene Products: The Food Pantry offers menstrual supplies and various hygiene products.
• Free menstrual products (tampons and pads) can be found in all women and gender-neutral restrooms at our Rocklin, Nevada County and Tahoe-Truckee campuses.

Housing  

• Residence Hall: Rocklin Campus offers on-campus, student housing. Several spaces are open each year in the Residence Hall for unhoused or emergency situations involving students who need housing. 

Jobs and Employment

• Career and Transfer Connections: Our Career and Transfer Connection team provides resources and guidance to help students research careers, gain work experience, earn credit for internships and hone their professional development skills.
• CalWORKS: CalWORKS helps students meet their Welfare-to-Work requirements. The program offers academic, personal and career counseling, educational expense cards, employment opportunities, financial grants, priority registration and loaner laptops and calculators.

Student-Parent Support

Sierra College provides support and resources for student-parents of children who are 18 years old and younger, and for students who are pregnant or expecting a child. For assistance and referrals, please contact our Basic Needs Center.

• Sierra College Student-Parent Priority Registration Request Form (requires mySierra log in)
• Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE): The CARE program helps students who are single parents receiving cash-aid from CalWorks or Tribal TANF who want to receive college-level training or complete a specific educational program. Services may include meal cards, gas cards, child care assistance, school supplies and/or grant funds.

• Family-friendly study room (Rocklin Campus, LR Building, Room 216): The room is equipped for students with children and can be reserved by any Sierra College student.
• Lactation spaces: Sierra College offers lactation facilities at all our campus locations. View our interactive campus maps.
• Pregnancy and parenting rights: Federal law under Title IX prohibits schools, like Sierra College, from discriminating against students because of pregnancy, childbirth, abortion, or recovery from these. You have the right to an equal education, including participating in class and having pregnancy-related absences excused.

Student Tech  

• Student Tech Support: If you need help learning how to access and use Sierra College-related technology, our Student Tech Support team can help. 
• CalWORKS: CalWORKS helps students meet their Welfare-to-Work requirements, and offers loaner laptops and calculators to eligible students. 

Support for Students Experiencing Homelessness

Shower Facilities

The Sierra College District maintains shower facilities for student use on campus that may be used by any homeless student who is enrolled in coursework, has paid enrollment fees, and is in good standing with the District.

A homeless student is defined as a student who does not have a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes, but is not limited to, students who: are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designated for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; or are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

Rocklin Campus

• Showers at the Rocklin Campus are temporarily located by the pool and in Lot J. View Rocklin Campus map for shower locations.
• Showers are available Monday – Friday from 7am to 9am when classes are in session. 
• Scheduling of collegiate athletic events may, from time-to-time, disrupt this schedule. Contact the Dean of Athletics at (916) 660-8100 if the showers are closed during athletic events.

Nevada County Campus

• Showers at the Nevada County Campus are located in the locker room (N-13 building) and a single restroom/shower (N-11 building).
• Showers are available: Monday, 7:30am – 4:30pm; Tuesday, 7:30am – 5:15pm; Wednesday, 7:30am -– 4:30pm; Thursday, 7:30am – 9:15pm; Friday, 8 – 9:45am
• Contact the Nevada County Campus Supervisor at (530) 274-5284 if showers are closed during these hours.

Contact the Basic Needs Center at basicneeds@sierracollege.edu for more information and other support services.

District Homeless Liaison

Contact Britt Bray, MSW, Program Manager, Basic Needs and Support Services

Transportation

• Bus Services: If you’re looking for ways to save money on your commute, consider using public transportation.
• Discounted Rides with Uber Vouchers  
  Sierra College now offers students discounted Uber rides to promote safe and responsible late-night transportation decisions to and from all Sierra College campuses and locations (Rocklin, Roseville, NCC, Tahoe-Truckee). 
• Transportation Assistance
  If you need help with transportation to and from Sierra College, we offer additional transportation and support to assist students on a case-by-case basis.

Community Resources

• AuntBertha.com: Find food, housing, and health and wellness resources available in your area.
• Child Action Inc., (CAI) – Sacramento County: CAI provides resources and referral services for families seeking child care, child care subsidies for qualifying families and family education and support.
• Child Care Referrals – Placer County Office of Education (PCOE): The Resource and Referral program at PCOE provides free child care referrals, without discrimination and without regard to income, to all individuals seeking child development programs in Placer County.
• Interfaith Food Ministry
• Food Bank of Northern California
• Golden Sierra Job Training Agency: Use this local agency to find a job, gain job training, access job research resources or to attend job fairs and workshops.
• Mental Health Resources: If you are experiencing a crisis or life-threatening emergency, call 911. Otherwise, use the Mental Health Resources list to find mental health support on- and off-campus.  
• Nevada County Health and Human Services: Learn about health services, emergency services and other offerings in Nevada County.
• Placer County Food Bank Distribution Schedule
• Placer County Services for Children and Family Resource Guide: Use this guide to find family support, food assistance, clothing/furniture, disability services, employment services, health insurance/financial/general, medical/dental clinics, mental health/safety/violence/anger management, and transportation services.
• Placer County Health and Human Services: Learn more about in-home support services, Medi-cal, mental health, public health and other offerings in Placer County. 
• Placer Housing Programs: Learn more about transitional and permanent supportive housing available.
• Placer Housing and Homelessness: Learn more about Placer County’s housing and homelessness programs, including emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing and housing vouchers.
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offers a supplemental nutrition program for women and families who qualify. WIC offers cards to buy healthy foods, nutrition information, breastfeeding education and support, and referrals to health and community services.