The Food+Shelter+Success program is here to support students of SFSU to improve their wellbeing and success as they live in the greater San Francisco community. We aim to make the transition into independent live a stable one with ample resources that encourage development. Students who seek guidance through the Off-Campus Housing Program can anticipate:
- Support in making informed decisions around the housing search, roommate connections, financial literacy and tenant rights/responsibilities.
- Workshops and curriculum about off-campus housing in San Francisco for campus partners, residential life and the greater student body.
- Student housing needs and planning services.
Key Starting Points for Off-Campus Living
Budgeting for your off-campus living expenses is an important first step in beginning your housing search it will inform what neighborhoods are more accessible to you, how many roommates will be helpful to offset prices and create a realistic expectation of the market value of units is in the San Francisco area. Filling out a budgeting worksheet is a great starting point.
The best time frame to begin your housing search is two-three months before the start of the anticipated semester. It is recommended to start looking during May/June for FallSemester and November/December for Spring Semester.
On any budget, living alone in San Francisco is difficult to afford. Finding roommates who are reliable and a good fit for you housing goals is important, utilizing a roommate agreement form can help this be a seamless process and avoid conflict. Asking all your potential roommates to fill out a roommate agreement form to get on the same page about your expectations of living together and the comfortable levels each individual has for co-habitation can prevent and alleviate any communications issue that arise down the road.