Resources Students Can Tap Into At Single Stop

Kerva Remy knows a thing or two about a busy morning. 

The first school day of every month, students line up on campus as early as 5 a.m. to get free bus and rail passes from Single Stop—a non-profit organization dedicated to providing students with resources and services to aid their academic journeys.

“A lot of students come early in the morning,” said Remy, who serves as a student assistant at Single Stop at North Campus. 

Passes are handed out starting at 8 a.m. to students who are enrolled in six credits and have completed a Single Stop profile form. They are distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

The perk is one of a bevy of services Single Stop connects hundreds of Miami Dade College students to each year. Other services include help with applying for food stamps, medicaid/medicare consultation, emergency aid, FAFSA completion assistance, financial coaching, and access to mental health counseling and affordable housing consultations.

Single Stop was founded in New York City in 2007 by Elisabeth Mason, and is funded by the Robin Hood Foundation. The organization’s goal is to reduce poverty and build economic security for lower-income families.

Miami Dade’s College partnership with the program began in October of 2010. Its first location was at North Campus before expanding to the College’s other seven campuses. 

“Advocating for students when they may have issues connected with interdepartmental services is the department’s mission,” Single Stop told The Reporter, in a joint response from the department.  

Single Stop also offers a food pantry at every campus and a career closet at the North, Hialeah and Kendall campuses.  

To access the food pantry, students must have a consultation at any Single Stop office and receive a voucher. The pantry is stocked with canned food, breakfast items, proteins, baby supplies and hygiene products. There is a limit of 12 items per week.

Donations are accepted in the form of non-perishable foods, gift cards to local grocery stores, monetary donations, hygiene products and baby supplies.

The career closet  provides students with free formal attire and accessories to use for job interviews or academic events. Students must make an appointment to visit and can get a full set of clothes once every semester. The clothes are theirs to keep.

Single Stop also gives students the opportunity to volunteer. The duties of a volunteer include assisting visitors with making appointments to see a coordinator, and helping students fill out the FAFSA form and with creating an MDC account. 

“I think the department is such a valuable resource for [students], because that is a way to help them to continue working hard at college,” said Caren Diaz, a student assistant at Single Stop.

For more information about Single Stop, visit https://www.mdc.edu/singlestop/.

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