Family Scholar House
The economy and education are among the most pressing issues facing our community and our nation as a whole. With the recent economic downturn, more families are facing financial hardship. With financial hardship comes difficult choices regarding continuing educational goals and entering the workforce. A recent report by the Metropolitan Housing Coalition found that nearly one-third of all households in the Metro Louisville area are headed by a single mother, with 37% of these families living below the poverty line. We know that the well-being of our residents relates directly to the well-being of our community and vice versa.
Thirteen years ago at the inception of the Family Scholar House (formerly known as Project Women, Inc.), leaders from six orders of nuns had the foresight to create a program for educating homeless single mothers with the goal of lifting their families out of poverty. They recognized education as a primary tool in supporting families and providing new opportunities for our community. The mission of Family Scholar House is to end the cycle of poverty by providing single-parent families with the support needed to attain a four-year college degree. This is accomplished through a comprehensive continuum of care that includes supportive housing, academic advising, case management, peer support, mentoring, job-shadowing and referral to other community resources. Families come to us from local shelters and from homelessness and inadequate living situations throughout the Louisville Metro and Southern Indiana areas.
Recently, the unique design of our program has led to the acknowledgement of our best practices and contact from other communities interested in replicating our program model. These communities, both national and international, see the success of education in improving the lives of families and the community in which they live. Our outcomes speak to the success of education in breaking the cycle of poverty:
- 100 % of our participants have exited to stable housing (four have purchased homes!);
- 95% have participated in the program without a repeat pregnancy;
- 53% have continued their education after the program, often in graduate programs;
- 75% have exited to stable employment; and
- 24 college degrees earned in our first 13 years, including a Ph.D. and a J.D.
Our comprehensive approach to economic empowerment and workforce development stabilizes homes and communities by developing the families’ earning power and increasing the pool of qualified applicants for local companies and businesses.
On October 7th, we will celebrate the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of our new Louisville Scholar House campus – a place where single parent college students are supported with our full compliment of services, affordable housing and on-site early childhood education for their children. We welcome you to attend and celebrate with us as this is an accomplishment not only for our program and our families but an accomplishment for our community showing the value we place on education for everyone. We also invite you to attend our upcoming luncheon in the Grand Ballroom at the Galt House East on Tuesday, October 21st, from 11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. The keynote speaker will be author and frequent O Magazine contributor, Faith Adiele.
To date, we have raised $14.1 million of our $15.7 million campaign goal. You have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the 56 families living at Louisville Scholar House and the over 300 families in the pre-residential program waiting for affordable housing. Through your donations of funding or volunteer hours you can help us change lives, families and communities through education. To learn more about luncheon, luncheon sponsorship opportunities, our programs and how to get involved, please call us at (502) 584-8090.
