Manchester Student Homes recently obtained funding from the Student Safety Group, a partnership forum that educates students about personal safety and household security. The funding will be used for interactive activities and promotional material for Manchester's Hate Crime Awareness Week. With over 60 events taking place across the city and many more across Greater Manchester, MSH hosted a number of interactive information stalls armed with freebies, including safety merchandise. Over the past two years, MSH has spoken to over 2,000 students about the significance of this event. Manchester Student Homes

Watching Charles Adkins walk the halls of the state legislature, no one would guess that the 20-year-old student lobbyist was homeless two years ago. He spent most of his high school bouncing between the houses of friends, or on the street, until he finally landed in an emergency shelter. The insecurity of those days is never far from his mind as Adkins, now a junior at The Evergreen State College, visits the legislators to press for three bills aimed at helping other would-be students who lack stable housing or tuition. To his mind, better aid for this group of young people would go a long way toward stemming Washington's homelessness crisis. Seattle Times

The University of Sussex's Street Wise scheme was named Public Services of the Year at the Community Stars Awards. The scheme sees highly visible members of the team walking in pairs in residential areas of the city on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, offering support to any passer-by between the hours of 10pm and 4am who may need assistance or advice on getting home safely. The scheme's pool of ten marshals, all of whom have community safety accreditation awarded by Sussex Police, have basic first aid training and conflict mediation skills, now a common-place site in certain areas of the city. University of Sussex

UMD students who are in recovery for substance addiction can now apply online for clinical outpatient services with the opening of an off-campus treatment center in College Park this fall. The Haven at College, a California-based company, has partnered with this university to form The Haven at College Park and has launched its online application process, said The Haven co-CEO Sharon Weber. The Haven at College provides housing and addiction recovery services for college students in three other states: California, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It's worked at other universities to start connecting with students early, Weber said." The Diamondback

Last September, Colorado broke new ground with the launch of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, the first of its kind in the United States. The alliance brought together 12 cities that vary in size, from large ones like Denver to smaller ones like Grand Junction. It partnered those cities with academic institutions like the University of Colorado system, private companies and other research partners. At its launch, the alliance said it hoped to make Colorado "a leader in the development of intelligent, 21st century infrastructure, improving everything from transportation, and housing to public safety add the environment. SmartCitiesDIVE