We hear you. Many of us, including me, have students who live off campus. There is simply not an easy fix or answer here.

Attending college on an urban campus and located in a disadvantaged neighborhood has its challenges, crime among them. Neither Temple nor any university for that matter can solve urban crime, which has become epidemic across the United States. I must tell you that I do believe that Temple has and is doing alot. It most definitely has not been sitting on its hands, and there is still more to do.

Two years ago, the University established a Crime Reduction Task Force comprised of law enforcement officers, parents, students, faculty, administrators and community leaders. That report was released in November 2022. The University hired Jennifer Griffin to lead Campus Safety, and in Spring 2023, Charles Ramsey released a report on crime mitigation strategies for Temple. The recommendations generated by both reports are in the midst of being implemented. For example, new security patrol maps have been drawn, the deployment of officers has increased through internal recruitment and hiring, partnerships with the City of Philadelphia and with Federal agencies, and additional technology has been deployed such as blue light cameras and improved lighting. The University has also created new and additional student safety measures such as the RAVE Guardian app, walking escorts and improved Flight service. There are also new and ongoing efforts to engage with the local community, municipal government and other universities to address crime.

As for housing, Temple has also created the "Best Nest Program", which is a vetted list of off-campus properties and landlords who meet certain established criteria (e.g.,secure buildings, lighting and cameras. Please visit this link to read more about these programs and initiatives:

https://news.temple.edu/news/2023-09-06/temple-releases-safety-initiatives-dashboard

As you know, The View at Montgomery apartments are private and are not affiliated with Temple University; however, they are Diamond Certified in Temple's Best Nest program.

We did contact the Office of Housing and we were told that there are no immediate plans for Temple to purchase more off-campus housing. We do have calls out to other departments in an effort to get a definitive answer about this and will reach out to you again, if and when we have any additional information to report.

Please know that,at present, there are vacant beds on campus through university housing. Interested students are eligible to request housing in a residential hall, even after Freshman year. During the past year, there were spaces available to accommodate those students who asked to move on campus.

Whenever a student chooses to live off campus, we recommend using the university's Best Nest Program to identify properties that have increased safety and security measures, and if at all possible, to find housing within Temple's patrol area. The Department of Public Safety also offers a 24-hour Walking Escort . In addition, students are encouraged to use Flight.

Temple Unversity Public Safety and Patrol Maps:
https://safety.temple.edu/crime-reports/patrol-maps
Best Nest Program:
https://safety.temple.edu/safety-education-programs/walking-escort-main-hsc-campus/best-nest-program
Walking Escort:
https://safety.temple.edu/safety-initiatives-programs/safety-outreach-programs/walking-escort-main-hsc-campus
Flight:
https://campusoperations.temple.edu/shuttle-services/flight

In addition, a new department has just been created at Temple within the University Housing and Residential Life department called the Off-Campus Living Office. Their contact information is offcampus.temple.edu. They focus on supporting students in their off campus living experiences by providing resources such as up-to-date rental options in the community listing their Best Nest status, prices, bedrooms, etc.

I hope this answered your question. Please do not hesitate to reach back out if you have any additional concerns.