AKRON, Ohio — LeBron James helped give Cleveland a championship, helped Akron children succeed in school by founding the I PROMISE School, and Monday, the basketball superstar announced his foundation’s plan to provide housing for the families of the students at his school who are in need.
The LeBron James Family Foundation and Graduate Hotels announced a plan to develop the “I PROMISE Village by Graduate Hotels,” a transitional housing community for Akron families struggling with homelessness, domestic violence and other challenges, according to a news release from the foundation.
Located a few blocks from the I PROMISE School in a historic Akron apartment building, the housing will feature renovated and furnished units that are intended to provide families in need with immediate shelter in the Akron area so that students can still attend school, the release states.
The LeBron James Family Foundation’s goal, in addition to providing transitional housing to the families in need, is to also provide them with support to help them get back on their feet.
“Being able to offer this safe haven for our families is transformational in every sense of the word,” said Michele Campbell, Executive Director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “This is about more than just getting kids to school. This is about keeping them alive. We’re seeing families struggling every day with very real and oftentimes unexpected issues that turn their worlds upside down. This will allow the family time and opportunities to grow while not worrying if they’ll have a roof over their heads.”
The foundation is set to begin the renovations immediately and the “I PROMISE Village” is expected to be fully operational before the start of the next school year in July 2020.
