New Scholar House and Workforce Development Program, Serving Single Parents, Opens on Campus of Eastern Kentucky University

FRANKFORT, Kentucky — The Workforce Pathway at Kit Carson Commons Scholar House officially opened Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.

The audience was treated to remarks by local and state officials, including Governor Andy Beshear and Kentucky Housing Corporation Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Winston Miller, and by one of the Scholar House residents, a veteran who described her journey from the military to the program,  “awesome.”

“It’s support for me, it’s support for my kid,” she said. “Everything we need. Academically, financially, and emotionally, just whatever you can think of.”

The facility is a unique combination of education support, workforce development and affordable housing. On one side are 30 residential units, including 25 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom apartments, of which three are handicap accessible and one is for the hearing impaired. On the other side is the job training component, consisting of three classrooms, a study room and computer lab, and offices. The education support is catered to each student’s needs. A childcare facility is across the street.

“This is an amazing project,” said Beshear, “and it will be a dream-come-true for the 30 families at the Scholar House and all the students that get to take part in these workforce training opportunities. Because of today’s announcement, folks here in Richmond are going to have a chance to transform their lives and their children’s lives, and they don’t have to do it alone.”

For Kit Carson Commons, KHC invested $8.9 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits, which, over a ten-year period, generated over $7 million in equity from the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), Madison County Fiscal Court, the City of Richmond and Fahe also contributed to the project.

“Kit Carson Commons represents a new beginning for its residents,” said Miller. “Here they can provide a home for their family and at the same time gain wisdom, training, and guidance that they need to build a brighter future for themselves and families.”

Miller also spoke of the original Scholar House, Virginia Place, which opened in 1986 in Lexington to offer, all in one place, childcare, job training and a safe, affordable place to live. With the addition of Kit Carson Commons, 10 such facilities now exist in the Commonwealth, all built with support from KHC.

Priority for admission into the program at Kit Carson Commons is given to low-income, single-parent, military service members or veterans who are enrolled at EKU, University of Kentucky, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, or another approved post-secondary institution. Applicants must agree to work or volunteer and to meet monthly with a case manager to develop and monitor an individualized service plan.

Congressman Andy Barr, EKU President David McFaddin, and Mayor Robert Blythe also spoke at the dedication.