A learning center at the heart of a cluster of Section 8 apartments in Madison, Wis., offers students something that helps them even more than a laptop computer – a sense of caring.

– Marjorie Kehe Deputy Weekly Editor

The 30 Sec. ReadAfter moving to a Section 8 housing development in Madison, Wis., his sophomore year of high school, Kebba Bojang, a native of Gambia, began frequenting an on-site learning center – staffed primarily by residents – to study and get tutoring help. Besides resources, Mr. Bojang says he also found something less tangible at the Northport Apartments learning center: high expectations. “When I have this feeling that someone is expecting me to be somewhere, it kind of pushes me to go there so I don’t disappoint the person. My fear of disappointment takes over my procrastination issues.” This kind of motivation, driven by interpersonal relationships and a strong sense of community, is a primary goal of the on-site centers at Northport, the neighboring Packer Townhouses, and two similar low-income housing facilities in Milwaukee, all of which are managed by the nonprofit group Housing Ministries of American Baptists in Wisconsin. Over their 20-plus years of existence, the Northport and Packer apartments have come to be regarded as a model for community-based learning in the Madison area, according to Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. 

https://www.csmonitor.com/Daily/2017/20170824/The-city-that-put-learning-centers-where-people-live