CLEVELAND — A newly opened student housing complex is promoting success for multiple generations. Families are now living in the Louise C. Stokes Scholar House in Cleveland.
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Alyssa Holland recently moved into a three-bedroom apartment at the 40-unit complex, directly across the street from where she’s taking classes at Tri-C’s Metropolitan Campus.
“We’re having a blessing. This is something that I didn’t expect to have ever,” Holland said.
Holland served in the U.S. Army before attending Tri-C for a Recording Arts degree. She’s now in school full-time while also raising two children.
“It was important for me to show my kids that mom can be something more than just mom. Mom can be a whole bunch of things, so I can be a whole bunch of things,” she said. “It can get hectic, but it just depends on how you look at everything. And me and my kids always just try to make the best out of the situations we’re in.”
Statistically, others in similar situations struggle to balance the time constraints, childcare needs, and financial pressure of parenthood and schooling.
According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 52% of college students with children drop out without returning to complete their programs. They’re nearly twice as likely to leave school before graduation than students who are not parents.
Holland’s supportive housing is designed to change that narrative.
“There’s no real way to fail here. They’ve set it up so you can just knock over the dominoes and go about your day,” she said.
The Louise C. Stokes Scholar House, developed by CHN Housing Partners, began welcoming residents in December. It provides affordable housing and wrap-around services for low-income college students and their children to support educational success and promote economic mobility.
“We’re here to knock down any barriers that families might have, especially the parent with regards to graduation from their post-secondary,” said Kate Carden, the vice president of programs at CHN Housing Partners.
The 40-unit facility includes two and three-bedroom apartments with ample personal space. Each floor will include a meeting room, and the main level will feature a community area and kitchen for events and workshops.
The building also includes many physical amenities busy families may need: on-site laundry, a fitness center, and a computer lab. Those facilities were designed with windows so parents can see their children in the indoor playroom and outdoor playground.
Additionally, Step Forward will soon be operating an on-site daycare.
“Now I can actually focus and not have to worry about - ‘Oh I have to drive here to go to the printer, I have to drive here to go to school or figure out what to do with the kids while I’m in class,’” Holland said.
CHN says the initiative is focused on promoting success for both parents and children.
“We have a pretty robust outcomes bank that we’re following to make sure we’re working with the entire family,” Carden said.
She explained similar initiatives have garnered success, where 80% of the adults graduate from their programs, 60% land stable jobs and 80% of the children also achieve their academic benchmarks.
Holland hopes her dedication to finishing school will set an example for her children.
“If they want to go to college, if they want to join the military, if they just want to pursue their entrepreneurship, if they want to do anything, I don’t want them to hold back from it,” she said. “And don’t be afraid to say, ‘Hey I had some help’ because you need it sometimes.”
Scholar House is still accepting applications for some of its two-bedroom apartments.
There is no application fee. Applications require a housing preference form completed by a college representative, birth certificates, social security cards, proof of income and photo ID for all applicants over 18 years of age.
The following criteria are also required:
· Student head of household must have primary custody of at least one child.
· Minimum 2.0 GPA is required.
· Income restrictions apply – Must be under 50% of Area Median Income.
· Must be a full-time student with at least one year of the program left at an accredited Ohio educational institution. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for students who are attending full-time equivalent clinicals or internship hours required for the completion of their degree.
· Must complete a Housing Preference Form.
· Must be eligible for the Section 8 Voucher Program.
· All applicants are subject to credit and criminal background checks.
You can find an application by clicking on this link.
