It’s 4:43 a.m. at El Camino College, on Thursday, Nov. 30.

At 51 degrees Fahrenheit, as one walks outside each breath released appears visible in front of them.

Most students are currently in their homes or apartments snuggled up in bed. Some with heaters or an extra blanket on top of them to keep warm.

But at least one student at El Camino does not have those luxuries.

He sleeps on the bottom floor outside of the Communications Building in a green tent from time to time. Next to his tent on a wall, there are games of tic-tac-toe he seemingly plays to keep busy.

The student was unable to talk to The Union at the time but patrolling campus police officer Darrell Miller spoke highly of him.

“He is a very nice guy. We let him sleep there as long as he packs up everything before 8 a.m.,” Miller said.

According to surveys by CCCApply, 151 El Camino students said they were unhoused in the 2023 spring semester.

This semester 198 students said they are unhoused.

“The number of students we are servicing through basic needs has almost tripled,” El Camino Basic Needs Coordinator Sharonda Barksdale said.

The Basic Needs Center is above the El Camino Bookstore, where students struggling with food and housing insecurities are given access to food, clothes and emergency housing referrals.

“The goal of basic needs is to fill in the gaps that students might have, so students can focus on their education,” Barksdale said.

When it comes to unhoused students on campus, El Camino Police Chief Michael Trevis said they feel safer on campus.

“The number of unhoused students seems to be increasing and it is an issue,” Trevis said.

Unhoused students have been living on campus for some time according to Trevis, he knows some students usually sleep in their cars in the parking lots.

Trevis said the relationship between campus police and unhoused students is respectful.

“We do our best to help them,” Trevis said. “We’re sensitive to these things and we want all students to succeed and it has to be difficult living in your car.”

With an increase of unhoused students, the Basic Needs Center is the primary resource El Camino provides. Students such as Associated Students Organization Commissioner of Finance Manuel Ortiz, also want to help.

“I want to pitch a care package for unhoused students at El Camino, which would include things like window shades in front of the car to block out light and a portable stove top so people can cook hot meals as well as many other things,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz has come up with this initiative, as well as a pre-planned budget in mind, to give unhoused students who currently sleep in their cars a box of items in which they could make “sleeping in your car more comfortable.”

Dean of Student Support Services Parrish Geary said he knows “students will be the vocal advocate for this issue.”

“I see unhoused students as a lot of our other students who just have another marginalized situation to deal with,” Geary said.