In Conjunction with Graduate Hotels, LeBron James and his family are set to launch an apartment complex named I Promise Village in Akron, Ohio. I Promise Village is specifically designed to provide makeshift accommodation for families battling with domestic violence, homelessness and suchlike unforeseen challenges. The goal is to provide an enabling shelter so children from these homes are able to continue school in a safe and conducive environment.
In a statement released to Cleveland.com, James disclosed the initial plan was to provide education to kids from these homes. “But we’ve found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive — if they are hungry, if they have no heat in the freezing winter, if they live in fear for their safety. We want this place to be their home where they feel safe, supported and loved, knowing we are right there with them every step of the way as they get back on their feet,” he said.
Why LeBron Is Setting Up a Transitional Housing
It’s difficult for students coming from homes plagued by fear of invasion, attack and violence to read and succeed at school. For some of these students who are able to attend school, the psychological and emotional overwhelm at home is often mirrored in performance at school. Having himself missed over 80 days due to lack transitional housing while in fourth grade, James acknowledges the importance of a transitional housing facility. James challenge is not strange in Akron.
Akron’s housing challenges
The eviction rate in Akron is the 24th highest nationwide, according to an Eviction Lab report. As finding shelter becomes a challenge in James’ hometown, homelessness has accelerated in recent years, with the number of school children from such families expected to climb to two thousand in the 2018/19 school year. James efforts would bring considerable relief to children from homeless families and builds on his I Promise School project that already has hundreds of children enrolled.
