The Louise C. Stokes Scholar
The Louise C. Stokes Scholar House sits at 2551 Community College Avenue in Cleveland, putting it across the street from Cuyahoga Community College’s Metro campus and about an 11 minute walk from Cleveland State University. Credit: CHN Housing Partners

College students often juggle lots of responsibilities while going to class–including, for nearly 4 million Americans enrolled in college, parenting. It’s estimated that one in every five collegians is a parent. 

Despite those big numbers, though, not many campuses in Northeast Ohio and beyond offer on-site childcare. Even fewer have campus housing opportunities dedicated to student parents. 

Opening the Louise C. Stokes Scholar House may help change things for some local students and their families. The 40-unit apartment building, named after the mother of the late Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes and the late U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, is currently accepting applications from local student parents. 

Its goal: coupling a safe, affordable place to live with a variety of on-site services and support to help residents get to graduation.  

“We all have limited bandwidth when we’re trying to work, and go to school, and raise children,” said Kate Carden, vice president of programs at CHN Housing Partners, the group previously known as Cleveland Housing Network. “This alleviates some of that burden for the parent.”

Apartment amenities and more 

The building sits at 2551 Community College Avenue in Cleveland, across the street from Cuyahoga Community College’s Metro campus and about an 11-minute walk from Cleveland State University. 

Thirty-three apartments have two bedrooms, with the remaining units offering three. A flier for the building touts amenities that would fit right in with the seemingly endless string of downtown apartments popping up in recent years: open floor plans, vinyl flooring, a fitness center, and storage for bicycles and strollers. 

What’s different from other housing listings, however, are the wraparound services the Scholar House offers. The list includes on-site child care, a “family coach” who will be there full-time to help connect residents with additional resources, and targeted support from both CSU and Tri-C. 

Both institutions partner with CHN and service organizations, including United Way Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Association, to help meet families’ needs.

Scholar House requirements

Here are the requirements students must meet to apply, according to CHN:

  • A student must be the head of their household and have primary custody of at least one child
  • The student must be enrolled full-time with at least one year of the program left at an accredited Ohio educational institution 
  • They have to have a minimum 2.0 GPA
  • Income restrictions apply. The student must earn less than the 50% area median income. In 2023, that amount is $36,200 for a family of two and $45,200 for a family of four. 
  • Must be eligible for Section 8 voucher program 
  • Applicants are subject to credit and criminal background checks

Rent rates are based on 30% of applicants’ adjusted annual income.

What you’ll need to apply for the Scholar House 

Once a student is ready to apply, CHN’s Carden estimates setting aside 10 to 15  minutes to complete the online application. Officials made sure it was easy to access on either a phone or a computer, she added.

Applicants should also have these documents nearby as they begin the process:

  • Current course schedule
  • Birth certificates 
  • Social Security cards
  • Photo IDs along with proof of income and assets for all household members 18 or older. 

Those documents can be submitted just by taking a picture with a cell phone, Carden said. 

Next steps

Once that’s submitted, applicants can expect to connect with various other stakeholders as the process moves along. CHN, for example, will reach out to verify the information provided online. CMHA also has an additional short application making sure those applying are eligible for Section 8 housing. 

About 350 people had completed the initial application as of mid-November, according to CHN’s Carden. None of the units are formally leased yet, but Carden estimates about 15 applicants are likely eligible, leaving more than half of the units still available. 

The first residents of the Scholar House are slated to move in next month. After the building is full,  Carden suggested keeping an eye on CHN’s social media accounts to learn about future openings. 

Resources for applying to the Scholar House 

Here is a link to the application. It can also be accessed by typing in this URL: http://bit.ly/ClevelandScholarHouse.  

For questions regarding the Scholar House and its application, call CHN’s property managers at 216-774-2371. The flier also lists the contact information of Housing Manager Cynthia Lyons at 216-774-2378. 

You can also connect with CHN on its Instagram page and its Facebook page.

This post was updated on Nov. 22 to reflect the most up-to-date requirements from CHN.

What type of coverage is missing when it comes to higher education in Cleveland? Our reporter Amy Morona wants to know what you think! Send her a note by filling out this form.

Higher Education Reporter
I look at who is getting to and through Ohio's colleges, along with what challenges and supports they encounter along the way. How that happens -- and how universities wield their power during that process -- impacts all Ohio residents as well as our collective future. I am a first-generation college graduate reporting for Signal in partnership with the national nonprofit news organization Open Campus.