As a researcher who studies how college students live, I hear frequently from people who say that struggling a bit to get through college is fine — in fact, it’s better than fine because it teaches you to work hard for what you want. After all, they had side jobs in college; they ate Ramen noodles. That’s just how it goes.

But what is happening today is very different. For decades, many students survived on little to afford college. But over time, the situation worsened to the point where now, hunger and homelessness routinely undermine students’ very ability to learn. Even though a far greater percentage of college students qualify for financial aid than in the past, colleges and states have fewer dollars per student to allocate to them.

Students can’t trust in a government safety net, either. It used to be the case that relatively few low-income women with children attended college, but those who did could receive welfare while in school. Today, one in four college students have a child, and yet most of these parents can’t get aid (or affordable child care) because of federal work requirements that require them to work 20 to 30 hours a week to get cash assistance.

Food stamps have onerous requirements, too. Students without children who qualify for food stamps often cannot receive them without working 20 hours a week on top of going to school. While that might sound easy, it isn’t — students are competing in a difficult job market for part-time, low-wage jobs. They are at a disadvantage because they lack flexibility and, often, experience. And through all of this, the value of the real minimum wage continues to decline. No wonder so many children are growing up in poverty.