LeBron James is taking his ‘I Promise’ foundation to the next level by offering transitional housing to the families of students at his I Promise School.
What We Know:
- The I Promise School has a population that is 60 percent black, 15 percent English-language learners and 29 percent special education students. It was created to serve “at-risk-students” and officials say that homelessness is a major issue that plagues many families of the school Three-quarters of its families meet the low-income threshold to receive help from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
- According to James, “Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we’ve found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive.”
- James announced the “I Promise Village” by graduate hotels will provide shelter, safety and support for I Promise School families.
- An historic apartment complex in Akron, Ohio, just a few blocks from the school will soon transform into a safe haven and lead to opportunity for struggling families of the I Promise School.
The I Promise Village will offer 20 fully-furnished and functional apartments to families in need. Officials are in the process of identifying families and the village should be up and running in the summer of 2020.
