Laeonta Davis, who is entering her second year at Carlow University, has been living on campus full-time since aging out of foster care. But this school year she will be studying off campus and in her own apartment.
On Monday, Davis got her first look inside what will soon be her new home as she continues pursuing a degree in social work, hoping to help children facing challenges similar to her own.
“Stable housing means security. Stable housing means (comfort). Stable housing for us has us not worrying about where’s the next place we’ll lay our head, whether we’re being a burden to the people who are kind enough to let us live with them,” Davis said.
Davis joined Allegheny County officials, the Allegheny County Housing Authority and former Pittsburgh Steeler Calvin Anderson on Monday to celebrate the unveiling of The Calvin Anderson Schoolhouse Apartments at St. Colman’s.
The $11 million project transformed the former St. Colman’s Catholic School in Turtle Creek into 26 apartments for young adults aging out of foster care, which occurs at 18.
The development is part of County Executive Sara Innamorato’s 25-year Allegheny Forward plan, which aims to expand housing and economic development opportunities throughout the county.
The county contributed $2.4 million to the project, while additional funding came from state grants, including $2.6 million from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and donations from The Lanihun-Anderson Foundation, a nonprofit established by Anderson and his wife, Sherée Lanihun-Anderson.
County officials and Anderson’s team could not provide a breakdown of the foundation’s contribution or how much money came from state or federal grants.
Anderson said the apartment complex will help break a cycle of generational poverty by equipping young adults with the necessary skills and resources to be self-sufficient.
“I know 18 can be a crazy moment in a lot of people’s lives. Now imagine that same moment, except you’re facing it with no family to call, no one to catch you in case you fall in the real world, which says, ‘Figure it out alone.’ Be honest, and ask yourself, would you have made it?” Anderson said.
“That is exactly the moment a young person aging out of foster care faces, and that young person is exactly who this building is made for,” he continued.
Everyone who will be living at the apartments will be required to enroll in some type of secondary education program, said Rich Stephenson, executive director of the county housing authority.
Inside the building will be an office for residents to go to for case management help and to meet with their education and workforce development team.
The office offers educational and workforce training opportunities, trauma support and Section Eight vouchers, which is a program that helps low-income families afford private housing.
Eligible participants pay roughly 30% to 40% of their adjusted monthly income for rent and utilities, while the local housing authority pays the remainder directly to the landlord under the voucher, according to the government.
The majority of the homes are reserved for households earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income, the county said.
At the reveal on Monday, each unit was completely furnished and included a desk and desktop computer, a laptop, Wi-Fi and printer.
St. Colman’s Catholic School, located on the 500 block of Hunter Street, has been closed since 2006.
“It had tremendous potential, but it was also in a race against time. The roof was leaking badly, and every storm caused more interior damage,” said Rob Sleighter, president of the architecture and design firm, Sleighter Designs.
“Had this project not moved forward when it did, this beautiful building could quickly have deteriorated beyond repair,” he said.
Sleighter said the building has a Victorian and Gothic revival look to it with pointed arches, detailed masonry, a steep tile roof and its distinctive cupola. The inside was transformed into 24 two-bedroom and two single-bedroom town-home style residences.