CLEVELAND — Plans were announced Wednesday for a new apartment building geared specifically for college students who are single parents with children.
The Cleveland Scholar House will be located on Community College Avenue, consisting of 33-two-bedroom units and seven three-bedroom units.
“The Scholar House model is a two-generation approach designed to interrupt the cycle of poverty for parents and their children and permanently change the trajectory of their lives,” said August Napoli, president and CEO of United Way.
The project, coordinated in partnership between CHN Housing Partners and The United Way of Greater Cleveland, will combine affordable housing with support services for single adult college students and their children.
United Way will coordinate wrap-around services for residents at the Cleveland Scholar House.
Cleveland Scholar House will offer the following:
- Stable Housing — CHN will develop the building on vacant land within walking distance of CSU and Tri-C. Amenities will include daycare, study space, a computer lab, common space for parenting classes and family activities, as well as child play space.
- Rental Support —CMHA will provide 40 project- based vouchers and lease the land for the building.
- High Quality Childcare — Step Forward will provide onsite daycare.
- Academic Support —CSU and Tri-C will provide life skills, academic counseling, and cohort support for first-generation college students.
- Resident Services —CHN, United Way and others will coordinate wrap-around services, including mental health counseling, financial literacy, and access to benefits and other services.
The Cleveland Scholar house was modeled by a successful pilot in Kentucky.
“The Cleveland Scholar House offers solutions to systemic problems, such as lack of access to affordable housing and quality education, as opposed to addressing the symptoms of poverty alone, including homelessness and hunger, to create real, long-term impact within the community and the hope of eliminating these barriers altogether in the future,” said Napoli.
The Cleveland Scholar House will be funded through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
“We are so grateful to OHFA for seeing the need for this project in northeast Ohio,” said Kevin J. Nowak, executive director of CHN Housing Partners in a news release. “The tax credit award is the essential first step to making Cleveland Scholar House a reality,” he added.
CHN Housing Partners will serve as developer, property manager and owner. The building architect is Hiti, DiFrancesco and Siebold, Inc.
A date for building completion was not given in the news release.
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