Gov. Beshear announces $1M investment to help open Opportunity House in Highland Heights

NEWPORT, Ky. (WXIX) - Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear made his way to Newport Monday to announce a $1 million investment to open the Highland Heights Opportunity House.

The governor awarded the Community Development Block Grant to the City of Highland Heights, who then applied for a grant in partnership with Brighton Properties, Inc. Brighton Properties Inc. will lease the vacant office, known as the Brown Building, to the Opportunity House.

Gov. Beshear says the Brighton Properties Inc. will renovate it and build 16 affordable apartments for low-income Kentuckians between the ages of 18 and 24 who are pursuing a college degree or a professional certificate.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, who is also the Secretary of Education and Workforce Development in Kentucky, says Kentuckians between those ages in Campbell, Boone, and Kenton counties “are unemployed and not in school.”

“We want to lift up our fellow Kentuckians across the commonwealth. This project ensures greater access to safe, stable housing, breaking down barriers that often keep folks out of higher education,” said Gov. Beshear. “This project can help those it supports break cycles of poverty, not only by helping those participating, but by lifting up future generations of Kentuckians.”

Gov. Beshear says there will be a meeting space as well as training for “comprehensive social services and counseling for residents.” Residents must participate in the life-skills training and must have a part-time job.

Opportunity House will be operated and managed under a non-profit affiliate with the Brighton Center, Gov. Beshear said.

There will also be a therapist from the Brighton Center who will provide intake assessments and a full-time case manager to help with planning, leading residents to educational success and employment.

Gov. Beshear says that Newport’s public housing authority will provide 16 project-based Section 8 vouchers to make the units affordable to residents.

The governor also provided checks on Monday totaling $314,000 in school safety funding for schools in Kenton and Campbell counties.

Kenton County received $154,000 for a safety upgrade to Kentucky Route 1072 (Sleepy Hollow Road). Gov. Beshear says that the Kentucky Department of Transportation will remove the crosswalk in the middle of the block and build a new sidewalk toward the intersection.

The governor also gave a $160,000 check to Campbell County to replace the traffic signals at two intersections in Cold Spring and Alexandria.

“In each project, KYTC engineers will examine the sites to determine whether other pedestrian improvements would be feasible through construction or reconstruction of handicap ramps,” Gov. Beshear stated in a press release.

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