Oregon is the first state in the U.S. to pass legislation that allows parents to be counted. The bill includes provisions for students who may be parenting stepchildren or siblings and other people who are not their legal dependents. Institutions will share these numbers with the state to then be made public.

“Even institutions that have some of the largest student parent housing programs in the country often have waiting lists and not enough units,” says Green. “From an equity perspective, if 20% of your students are parents in need of housing, then 20% of your housing should be for those students. But we’re not seeing that yet.”