Student Roost, the UK’s third largest purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) provider, and award-winning mental health charity Chasing the Stigma, have launched an industry-wide movement and called upon sector leaders to work together to provide support for student mental health.
Launched in 2022 by Student Roost, the #BehindEveryDoor campaign gives access to over 14,000 tailored, local mental health support services, via Chasing the Stigma’s Hub of Hope platform. Students scan a QR code from posters behind every bedroom door in every Student Roost property throughout the UK. This takes them to the Hub of Hope, which highlights charities, organisations and student services in the area that can provide support and advice on a range of topics, from depression and anxiety to loneliness, financial distress and addiction.
Student Roost reports that since the launch of #BehindEveryDoor in 2022, there have been 5,000 QR code scans. Between September and November 2024, the platform recorded 782 searches, with anxiety (21%), depression (14%), and student support (9.5%) remaining the most prevalent concerns.
The start of the year is particularly challenging for students, with 74% of the traffic occurring in September. Student Roost reports that this year has seen a noticeable increase in searches for financial support, underscoring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on student wellbeing.
GSL Index data highlights that stress/anxiety is the number one struggle for students living in student accommodation. Although there has been a decrease in the number of students reporting that they struggle with stress/anxiety and depression as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, last Autumn, 41% of students said they struggled with stress/anxiety, and 16% said they struggled with depression. Cost of living pressures are evident, with 33% of students saying they struggle with having enough to get by.
The latest GSL Index data also highlights that work and work placements feature more prominently in the list of student struggles than in previous years. The number of students saying they struggle with finding part-time work has increased significantly over the past four years, with 40% of students last Autumn reporting that they were struggling to find part-time work, making it the second-biggest struggle after stress/anxiety. Students are also increasingly reporting that they are struggling to find work placements, with 16% reporting struggles in this area last Autumn.
Student Roost is calling out to leaders in the student accommodation and higher education sector to join the #BehindEveryDoor movement in a bid to ensure every student, regardless of whether they live in private or university-owned accommodation, has access to the Hub of Hope platform. A collaborative approach within the sector will widen the data collected, enabling a powerful shift in terms of understanding the mental health support needs of students across the sector.
Other Greystar brands Chapter and Canvas Student, global student accommodation provider Yugo, Luna Students and Fusion Students have already pledged their support.
More information on the #BehindEveryDoor movement, and the industry pledge video, can be found here. If you are an accommodation provider, university or higher education provider and would like to pledge your support, please contact [email protected]
