A photo taken in mid-May at the site of the Jeremiah Program Campus

The fall of 2016 will bring a new lease on life for 35 single mothers and their children in Austin. That’s when Jeremiah Program is scheduled to begin moving the families into affordable housing on its Jeremiah Program Campus, currently under construction in the Guadalupe-Saldana neighborhood of East Austin. The complex includes two-bedroom apartments for each family, communal space, supportive service offices and a licensed Child Development Center that will be able to serve up to 60 children.

The total cost of this 50,000 square foot project is $8.2 million. Jeremiah program secured most of the funding from foundations, including the Moody Foundation for which the campus is named, Nelson Puett Foundation, the Garrison Family Foundation and Lowe Foundation. Another $2 million came from general obligation bond financing from the City’s Austin Housing Finance Corporation in the form of a deferred, forgivable loan at 0% interest. No repayment is required as long as the nonprofit and its housing partner Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC) meet the affordability requirements for a 99-year period.

Jeremiah Program’s participants are single mothers who are 18 years or older with children under the age of five. Their income is at or below 30% of the Austin area’s median family income, or about $18,000 for a family of two. They will be pursuing a college education and are typically first-generation college students. The mothers must also complete a 12-week personal empowerment course to prepare them for the hard work ahead.

A group of Jeremiah Program supporters toured the construction site in early May.

Jeremiah Program’s unique and nationally-recognized two-generation programming provides the support necessary for low-income single mothers and their children to move beyond poverty and into a life of economic independence. They’re boasting some impressive results over the last three years in Austin.

• 94 women have successfully completed their 12-week empowerment program;
• 75% of 6 families progressed toward academic success and career development; and
• 100% of children received quality early childhood education and individualized support to become kindergarten ready.

Construction of the Jeremiah Program Campus is expected to be competed by September 22, 2016. Then, the process of furnishing the buildings will begin. The families are expected to begin moving in in mid-October.