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I had my daughter in June of 2018. My situation wasn’t the best, so my friend who was already taking advantage of Family Scholar’s House’s programs and services recommended them to me. I don’t have a lot of family in Louisville, and the family I do have, have so much on their plate that they cannot offer much assistance. I am a single mother and I knew when I was pregnant with my child that I would be doing this alone. Once I got into the program everything changed for me. Shortly after orientation and completing my workshops I moved into Family Scholar House.  A place we could call home, and a place I was able to focus solely on my education and our future.

Trevon has been a part of the FSH family since his mom first walked in our doors over a decade ago. While he lived on campus he was often found in our building asking staff how he could help, attending every workshop and looking out for his younger neighbors. Trevon and his family moved out years ago but he has never been a stranger around our campuses. He has volunteered, mentored current FSH kids and been a constant bright light for our staff. A few weeks ago he arrived at Louisville Scholar House to volunteer in assembling and distributing casseroles for our moms in honor of Mother’s Day. On this particular day, Trevon was in for a surprise when First Lady Britainy Beshear presented him with a certificate declaring him as an official Kentucky Colonel!

Have you ever been to a place where you instantly felt like you belonged and don’t know how it took you so long to get there? In the small amount of time I’ve been employed at Family Scholar House, those are just a few things I reflect on almost everyday. I don’t think I could tell you specifics of the first time I interacted with Family Scholar House, but I can sure tell you about how much it has impacted me as of recently.

Art therapy is one of the many available resources we offer at Family Scholar House. Our art therapist works with our parents, children, and young adults to use self-expression through painting, drawing, and other artistic activities. 95% of our participants are survivors of domestic violence. With that being said, we have found many prefer processing their trauma through art. This is also a good way for us to work with our younger children, who may struggle using words to express their big emotions.

“From our very first campus, the decision to paint our apartment doors different colors was never about the aesthetic; it was always about creating a sense of identity, a way for children to recognize ‘home’ and  families to experience the feeling of belonging.” If you drive past one of our campuses you are likely to notice the variety of colors on our participant’s doors. This was not by accident. Many of our participant's experience homelessness or unstable housing before calling an FSH campus home. This means not only have they experienced instability, but so have their children. Picture this, you are 4 years old and every apartment door is the same color, how does yours stand out? For our little scholars, they know the purple door on the first floor or red door on the third is where they call home, where they read bedtime stories each night and wake each morning.

Recognizing this tremendous need in Houston, Family Scholar House (FSH) is bringing this vital support to Houston through the construction of our new campus, Manson Place for Parent Scholars. While the campus, which offers affordable housing in Houston’s Third Ward, will break ground this summer and open in 2024, pre-residential services are already available to anyone interested in seeking support to realize their career goals.