Care and Support Services

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Care and Support Services (CASS) at Student Health and Wellness provides free inclusive support for all students with unmet needs to increase students’ ability to identify, reduce, and navigate barriers to their growth and well-being. We do this by providing direct student services and programming, and by creating and expanding support infrastructures.

Students engage with our office for a number a reasons, some common things we hear are:

• I’m going through a tough time and I’m not sure what resources are available to support me or my particular situation. 
• I’m having trouble affording my basic needs like housing, food, etc.  
• I'm worried about one of my friends or classmates. They just haven’t been acting like themselves and I want someone to check on them.  
• I'm having a hard time finding my place at UVA. I want to find my community and engage with others but I'm not sure how.  

Reach out to our office at 434-924-7133 or [email protected] to meet with our team, or just stop by our office on the second floor of Peabody Hall. 

Basic Needs Resources

Food Resources

Food Insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food. While marked by physical sensations of hunger in its most extreme form, more often it looks like: 

• Deciding which meal during the day you can afford to eat
• A diet primarily consisting of cheaper processed foods like instant noodles
• Not getting enough fruit or vegetables due to the higher cost of fresh produce
• Cutting or stretching the size of meals to make multiples meals out of one meal due to financial constraints

Many UVA students, find themselves facing the impossible choice between making ends meet and buying nutritious food and hygiene items. If you're struggling to afford the daily essentials you need, please access the resources in this section. We're here to help. 

Resources on Grounds: 

UVA Community Food Pantry (CFP)

• The CFP led in partnership by student leaders and staff of the Care and Support Team. The CFP works to eliminate the financial hardships of UVA students and staff trying to access adequate food by providing essential food and hygiene items.
• Location/Hours: The CFP is located in the Student Activities Center on the 1st floor of Newcomb Hall, Room 144. The CFP is open during Newcomb Hall operating hours.

Satellite Pantry Network 

• The Satellite Pantry Network is an effort of the Food Insecurity Resource Group (FIRG) to meet students where they are and provide basic nutrition and hygiene products at no cost.
• Locations: School of Engineering (Thornton A121), Higher Education Program within the School of Education (Ridley 285), Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center (1400 University Avenue), School of Nursing (Claude Moore Nursing Education Building) 

Food Insecurity Resource Group (FIRG)

• FIRG is dedicated to creating sustainable support for students, faculty, and staff facing food insecurity and consists of representatives from teams across Grounds, local community organizations, and more. If you're interested in joining FIRG, email [email protected] and include FIRG in the subject line.

Nutrition Services 

• Student Health and Wellness has a team of Registered Dietitians that can help with nutrition related health goals, from prevention or management of chronic health conditions, to building a better relationship with food, to navigating nutrition information. Schedule a no-cost consultation online via HealthyHoos.

Community Resources: 

CommonHelp 

• CommonHelp is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s fast and easy way to apply online for many financial assistance programs. Through the CommonHelp website you can find out what assistance you may be eligible for and submit one application saving you time and effort. 

Food Finder – Blue Ridge Area Food Bank 

• The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank launched their user-friendly, mobile-accessible Food Finder tool to help individuals connect with local food pantries and programs.

Financial Resources

Hoo Needs Help 

• Hoo Needs Help exists to support students who need assistance with unexpected, unforeseen, and unavoidable emergency expenses. These may be expenses related to situations such as accidents, illness, theft, fire damage, food insecurity, or temporary housing needs. Emergency support may be provided in the form of grants or short-term loans. 

Undergraduate Emergency Loan

• A short-term, interest-free loan available to undergraduate students for up to $500 and graduate students for up to $750 per semester.

Honor Loan

• A stand-alone fund established to aid full-time University students in meeting their small, short-term financial needs by issuing interest-free loans for a maximum of $1000 per semester.  

Peer Financial Counseling 

• Offered as a free service from Student Financial Services, Peer Financial Counseling (PFC) provides one-on-one counseling and group workshops led by trained student counselors. Students can receive support on a variety of financial wellness topics, including budgeting, student loans, managing personal credit, basic investing, and preparing a financial plan for an internship or when you transition to the workforce. 

Safety and Wellness 

Student Safety Guide 

Resources

Arrest Self-Disclosure Form

• Each year, new and returning students are asked as part of their Annual Student Update Form, whether or not they have been arrested or convicted of a crime. Students must report this information if they have not previously provided it to the University.

Just Report It

• Just Report It (JRI) is the University's online system for reporting; Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence, Bias and Discrimination/Harassment, Hazing, Clery Act Compliance (by CSAs), Interference with Speech Rights, Youth Protection, and Preventing & Addressing Threats or Acts of Violence.

Rave Guardian Safety App

• UVA has partnered with Guardian to provide the University community with a new mobile safety app. The result is easy-to-access safety information and tools all in one easy-to-use app!

Emergency Phone Program & Locations

• Emergency phones provide direct contact to the police department. If you feel threatened, in danger, are experiencing an emergency, need police or security assistance -- or even if something just doesn't feel right -- press or pick up the nearest emergency phone. Outdoor phones are lit by a distinctive blue light. Indoor phones are usually colored red or outlined in red.

Active Attack & Response Training

• Run-Hide-Fight is a national model that has been adopted throughout Grounds in both the academic division and UVA Health. Thinking about what you would do in an active-attacker situation is one of the most effective things you can do to enhance your safety. This brief Department of Safety and Security training video discusses Run-Hide-Fight tactics, the UVA Alerts emergency notification process, and the importance of reporting concerning warning behaviors that can precede a violent attack. 

De-Escalation Training

• In this interactive course, participants will learn basic communication and de-escalation strategies to manage aggressive behavior and avert conflict. Topics include Stages of Conflict, Verbal and Non-verbal Communication, Anxiety Phase, Emotional Confrontation, Physical Aggression and Mental Conditioning. This course will take approximately 50 minutes to complete.

UTS OnDemand (formally Safe Ride)

• UTS OnDemand is a fare-free van shuttle service that provides rides for University community members to areas in and around Grounds during overnight hours. 

After Hours Services Parking and Transportation

• A compilation of services offered to students for after hours transportation needs.

Sexual Violence Bystander Intervention and Prevention

• The University of Virginia aims to prevent sexual harm in our community through a variety of initiatives and evidence-informed interventions. These efforts include education and awareness programs, internships, interventions, and applied research. Through this work, we are creating and sustaining a community of care and sexual respect.  

The Gordie Center

• The mission of the University of Virginia's Gordie Center is to end hazing and substance misuse here at UVA and among college and high school students nationwide.