Cathe Dykstra, president and CEO at Family Scholar House, speaks Thursday at Ivy Tech Sellersburg at the groundbreaking for a new residential facility. The homes will be available for low-income families, including single parents who are pursuing post-secondary education.
Photo by Brooke McAfee | News and Tribune
SELLERSBURG — A Sellersburg development will bring together affordable housing and access to higher education.
Officials gathered Thursday at Ivy Tech Sellersburg for a groundbreaking of the Family Scholar House, a residential facility to be built near the campus.
The facility will provide apartments for eligible low-income families, including single parents who are pursuing post-secondary education. Family Scholar House, a Louisville nonprofit, is partnering with Ivy Tech Sellersburg for the project.
Thursday’s groundbreaking also celebrated the start of an entrance to Ivy Tech Sellersburg, which will create better access to the campus and connect with the future Scholar House and Indiana State Police’s Sellersburg office.
Ivy Tech Sellersburg Chancellor Travis Haire said this is a “pivotal juncture in the history of our campus.”
“Both initiatives — unique in their essence — are united in their purpose of elevating our community and the educational landscape,” he said.
Student parents involved in the Family Scholar House program can apply for subsidized housing, which is based on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines.
Cathe Dykstra, president and CEO of Family Scholar House, said the project is “more than affordable housing.”
“We are building brighter futures for single mothers and their children and prosperity for generations to come,” she said.
This will be the first Family Scholar House in Southern Indiana.
“We know the difference we can make together with our educational partners like Ivy Tech and [Indiana University Southeast] by providing wraparound services that allow student parents to focus on education, career entry and caring for their children.”
Local parents have moved to Louisville to be part of Family Scholar House’s residential program, but the Sellersburg campus will allow them to stay in Southern Indiana, Dykstra said.
“We want to keep participants close to their families, close to their health care providers, their faith communities, their colleges and their children’s schools and daycares,” she said.
Ivy Tech Community College President Sue Ellspermann said the Family Scholar House facility will be a “beacon of support and advancement, offering an environment where students can flourish academically with their family.”
Haire said the Family Scholar House is “closely tied to our mission” at Ivy Tech Sellersburg.
“It’s poised to be a cornerstone in our community’s educational framework,” he said. “It represents our commitment to nurturing and supporting those on their educational journeys.”
He said the new campus’ new entrance will be a “gateway to new opportunities at Ivy Tech.”
“The new campus entrance is a symbol of our dedication to accessibility, inclusivity and engagement,” he said. “It represents a gateway to new beginnings, not only streamlining access to our campus but also symbolizing our open arms to our students, faculty and the community at large,” Haire said.
Tiffany Fitzpatrick-Smith, a Family Scholar House graduate from Southern Indiana, said the Louisville program helped her pursue college as a single mother. She graduated with an associate’s degree in 2018 from Jefferson Community & Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in 2020 from the University of Louisville.
“When I found out I was pregnant with my son Princeton, I knew I would need support to complete my degree and raise my son,” she said. “Family Scholar House would send needed support, another layer of family. ...”
Family Scholar House coached her through the process, Fitzpatrick-Smith said. After graduation, she moved out of Family Scholar House, and she is now a homeowner.
“I’m able to be involved in our community and church,” she said. “Our children understand the importance of education, family and helping others. I would not be sitting here today without others investing in me.”
She is excited to see more opportunities for Southern Indiana families.
“I am thrilled to know this campus will allow other Southern Indiana families to have safe, affordable housing and support they need, providing them the opportunity to pursue their educational dreams and provide for their families without leaving their family or their community,” Fitzpatrick-Smith said.
Joe Glover, vice chancellor of external relations at IUS, praised the project.
“Please know that IU Southeast is committed to supporting Family Scholar House and supporting those students from their first day of class at Ivy Tech through their ultimate educational or workforce pathways, which we hope will result in their graduating with a four-year degree from Indiana University,” he said.
Dana Huber, chair of Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority, said these projects are “imperative to making Indiana and our regional community the best place to live and work and, especially in this instance, to thrive.”
The RDA administers the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grant allocations in the area. Family Scholar House and Ivy Tech Sellersburg received a combined $2 million in READI grant funding for the two projects, including $1.19 million for the construction of the apartment units.
Huber said the Family Scholar House will have broader effects on the community.
“The impact of Family Scholar House is far more than providing a brick-andmortar facility,” she said. “Sellersburg Scholar House will help transform the community as it ends the cycle of poverty, provides wraparound services and uplifts families to succeed and achieve generational self-sufficiency.”
In addition to READI funding, the project received $1.5 million from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and a developmental fund loan of $625,000. The project is also receiving financial support from the Sisters of St. Benedict, Paul W. Ogle Foundation, Blue Sky Foundation and Caesars Foundation.
Family Scholar House also received an Impact 100 Southern Indiana grant of $114,000 from the Women's Foundation of Southern Indiana, which will be used for technology at the housing facility.
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