Phoenix church becomes affordable housing project for single parents going to school

Phoenix Scholar House, an affordable housing development that will have dedicated rooms for people in need of affordable housing while continuing their education, began construction Wednesday.

The project is being built on the site of a former church that was razed for the redevelopment. Brinshore Development bought the 1.5-acre site from East Phoenix Church of God for $3.23 million in August according to real estate database Vizzda. The church is one of several metro Phoenix churches to be sold for redevelopment in the past few years.

The 56-unit complex will be directly north of Phoenix Children's Hospital, on Thomas Road and 18th Place. At least 20 of the units will be dedicated to the Scholar House model, which is created for single parents who need affordable housing and other support while pursuing higher education, including community college, trade school, or university education. The program was created by Louisville, Kentucky-based Family Scholar House, and the Phoenix project will be the first Arizona project associated with the program.

Save the Family, a Mesa-based nonprofit that helps families facing homelessness stay together, and Brinshore Development, which is also developing other Family Scholar House locations in other states, are the developers of the project.

Save the Family focuses on housing and other resources for people experiencing homelessness, Robyn Julien, CEO of Save the Family, said. In addition to housing, the organization provides other resources, like a staff therapist, job training, children and youth programs, budgeting assistance and other aid to families.

About 80% of the families that go through the organization's programs achieve self-sufficiency and find permanent housing after completing their program, Julien said.

"This is a unique, two-generational approach," Julien said, adding that nationally, 90% of the people served by Family Scholar House are single mothers, and most are survivors of domestic violence. The Phoenix Scholar House will have supports for both the parents and their children while they are living in the apartment.

Julien said many of the people who live in Family Scholar House developments around the country go into the healthcare field, so partnering with nearby healthcare organizations, like Phoenix Children's Hospital, will provide opportunities for residents as well.

At a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning, Maria Wilson, affiliate program director for Family Scholar House, spoke about her experience with the program when she was a young single mother. Wilson gave birth to her son when she was a young teen after experiencing housing instability and homelessness most of her life. After her baby was born, she googled how to go to college.

She enrolled in community college but struggled balancing her schoolwork with her other responsibilities. Then, she was connected with Family Scholar House, which provided her with support and resources to help her succeed in school. She has since graduated from the University of Louisville and completed postgraduate studies.

"My son is now doing phenomenal. The generational curse has been broken in his life," she said.

Construction is expected to take about a year, and the apartments are planned to open in late 2025.

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