HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The Opportunity House is a new program that provides resources and affordable housing to young adults facing challenges furthering their education, career goals and taking the leap into adulthood. Heading into the first summer after the program started, staff and residents reflect on the impact it’s had this year.
Kylie Meredith is a student at Northern Kentucky University who says there’s a lot on your plate when adulthood hits, including figuring out how to keep a roof over your head.
“I was looking for an apartment before this and that was very, very hard,” Meredith said.
She said it was a struggle realizing how much rent would cost and found some help with Opportunity House. She moved in back in August.
The building, located on NKU’s campus, welcomed young adults for the first time as students were starting classes for the fall. The program is an initiative of the Brighton Center, which seeks to be a community support for young people in the community.
“They’re coming from unstable living situations. They are lacking support, which makes it difficult to focus on education,” said Katie Kassis, youth services director with the Brighton Center.
“We’re able to provide stable, affordable housing for them, a community of support with case management and other services so they really can focus on their academic and career goals,” she said.
Meredith said she went from sharing a room in an apartment with her sister to having her own space.
“It’s very nice to decorate my own space and have my own bathroom- that was a very big thing for me moving into here and just being able to have my own space where I can go chill out if I need to is really nice,” Meredith shared.
Brighton Center officials said they’re happy to see how well Meredith and others in the program have adjusted and grown overtime. They want to provide as much help to make starting a new life chapter go a little smoother.
“We’re just really working on strengthening our partnerships with career opportunities whether that be with apprenticeships or internships and finding people who can really connect to our young adults here,” Kassis said.
Meredith said she’s grateful she’s found an apartment to call her own and to be living alongside neighbors in the building who have also faced a tougher time bridging into adulthood.
“Being able to you know live life and experience adulthood while having assistance is really amazing because it shows that you’re not alone,” she shared.
The Brighton Center said resident will still be living on site at Opportunity House through the summer and may welcome a couple newcomers soon, too.