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Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is growing its reputation as the largest, most dynamic and most influential college in Florida, offering 13 bachelor’s degrees, 45 associate degrees and more than 100 technical certificates and career certifications. Their mission is to provide an equitable, high quality, success-driven learning experience for their diverse community of students.
For over three years, FSCJ has utilized Single Stop to provide students with access to essential support services, financial resources, and benefits – playing a crucial role in helping students achieve both academic and personal success.
Recent studies reveal that 40% of U.S. college students today are food insecure and 48% experience housing insecurity.
Before Single Stop was effectively utilized on the FSCJ campus, advisors faced significant challenges in connecting students with the right resources. While advisors offered overall guidance, it was difficult to identify and direct students to the specific benefits that could address their unique needs.
Students often had to navigate a complex network of services on their own, leading to frustration, lost opportunities and unmet needs.
When Paciddia McDonald joined the FSCJ administration as a Lead Case Manager in 2022, she introduced the Single Stop platform to the campus. Since then, its integration has transformed how FSCJ supports its students, enabling both advisors and students to efficiently identify the benefits and resources most relevant to each individual.
Through Single Stop, FSCJ has made over $11 million in potential benefits available to students and their families, including more than $2 million in benefits identified during the most recent fiscal year. The platform has significantly streamlined the process of connecting students with essential resources, like food assistance, housing, and healthcare—helping students focus on their education without the added burden of financial instability.
One of the key ways Single Stop has contributed to FSCJ's success is by improving student retention and persistence, with many students continuing to use the system throughout their entire college journey.
Take, for example, one FSCJ student who faced severe personal, financial, and housing challenges. One evening, the student came to a Single Stop Case Manager with no place to stay. Despite the late hour, the Case Manager was able to utilize the Single Stop platform to find local shelters and secure a spot that very night for the student.
Determined to help the student achieve stability, the Case Manager not only assisted with job applications, securing steady employment, but also helped them find stable permanent housing. Thanks to Single Stop, the student was connected with a shared housing program that provided affordable weekly room rentals, as well as SNAP benefits and Medicaid for food and healthcare access.
Today, this student is on track to graduate FSCJ with the long-term goal of becoming an engineer. Despite the hardships they’ve faced, they remain focused on their goals—and continue to rely on Single Stop for ongoing support along the way.
Looking ahead, FSCJ aims to expand Single Stop’s reach by further integrating it into student orientation programs and events on campus. The goal is to ensure that all students are aware of Single Stop from the moment they enroll and feel comfortable accessing its resources.
FSCJ envisions a future where Single Stop is not just a resource in times of crisis, but a proactive tool that helps students access the benefits they need to maintain financial stability throughout their academic journey. By embedding Single Stop into the fabric of student support, FSCJ hopes to empower students from day one, enabling them to thrive both during and after their time in college.
Single Stop does not operate in isolation. It is Case Managers and advisors like the ones at FSCJ that play a key role in ensuring everyone receives the proper education and benefits to secure a stable future.
