It’s really happening! Housing for Care Center students in college is coming to Holyoke.
Unstable housing and homelessness are some of the biggest challenges for our students in college. That is why we are working with the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing based in Western Massachusetts to address this issue.
Located in Holyoke, just down the street from the newly renovated Public Library and part of the Library Commons revitalization project, Roqué House will support young parents while they earn a college degree. It will feature apartment-style housing, personal and academic counseling, arts and educational programming, daycare access, and transportation. It will provide students with a safe, supportive, and intellectually stimulating environment where they can concentrate on their studies.
Named for Puerto Rican educator and suffragist Ana Roqué de Duprey (1853-1933), Roqué House will be designed to inspire young parents to dream big, pursue ambitious academic goals, and re-imagine who they can be. Beyond its doors, Roqué House will serve as a bridge between college students and the wider Holyoke community, transforming the public’s limiting view of what is possible for young mothers.
The Care Center is partnering with Way Finders (formerly HAPHousing), the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing based in Western Massachusetts, to establish Roqué House. Roqué House will provide twelve two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments embedded in a vibrant educational community for families headed by young parents. Each Roqué parent will be required to be engaged full-time or admitted to a full-time educational/economic empowerment program. Each must have primary custody of their child/children and be income-eligible for affordable housing.
The first facility of its kind in the Commonwealth, Roqué House will not only enable young mothers to overcome one of the most significant obstacles preventing them from completing college, but it will motivate and inspire students, encourage them to engage in the Library Commons community, and create an extended family of young parents and their children, all engaged in learning. Just as importantly, Roqué House will combat prevailing negative societal stereotypes associated with young parents.
Roqué House will be a place for young families that feels like home – safe, comforting and beautiful. Children will play nearby in the park. Students will be able to study together in the common space or take a pâpier-maché workshop in the Art Room. They will walk across the street to the library to research the topic of their latest paper. They will sit down with a College Counselor if they have a question about switching majors or finding internship opportunities. Most importantly, they will feel a sense of security, of continuity. This will be their space.
Roqué House will also be a community resource. Students will invite their parents to Friday night dinner so that all three generations can enjoy the animated shorts screened in the common room after dessert. Student artwork and photographs will be displayed in the entryway sparking conversations with classmates and professors attending monthly poetry readings. Instead of scrambling to find childcare and taking a bus to school for a lecture, students will enjoy the rich cultural offerings typically accessible only to their on-campus peers. Their building will be recognized in the community as a hub of intellectual and artistic activity. Rather than feeling embarrassed, students will feel proud of the place they live, proud of the work they are doing in school, and proud of the events and activities they organize. Students’ young children will have the opportunity to live in this environment and have experiences that stimulate their interests and imagination.
Earlier this year, the Department of Housing and Community Development approved funding for the renovation of the buildings that will comprise Library Commons. Roqué House will be a component of this larger housing development. The building is slated to open to students in 2019.
Way Finders will own and renovate, seek purchase and construction money, oversee building maintenance, and guide the renter selection process. The Care Center will provide supportive educational services and cultural programming for Roqué House and Library Commons. We will also provide a staff person to oversee residential life at Roqué House and link to college support services at The Care Center.
