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Brighton Center’s innovative Opportunity House on NKU campus dedicated this week, provides support for at-risk youth


Brighton Center, Brighton Properties, Northern Kentucky University (NKU), and the City of Highland Heights officially opened Opportunity House during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week at the new space, located on NKU’s Highland Heights campus.

Dignitaries from Brighton Center, NKU, and the City of Highland Heights were in attendance for the monumental occasion.

Becoming an adult can be an exciting time in a person’s life: finishing up school, leaving home for the first time, enrolling in college courses, reinventing yourself as you take new classes and make new friends. It can be a time full of seemingly endless possibilities. But for some youth, this time can be one of uncertainty. Brighton Center has developed an innovative strategy to help set these youth up for academic and career success, returning the magic of possibilities to their lives.

Opportunity House is both a residence and a program for success. A residential building situated on Northern Kentucky University’s campus; it is able to house 16 young adults as they pursue secondary education. Onsite programming is in place to provide a support system and life skills coaching.

Opportunity House consists of 15 efficiency and 1 one-bedroom apartments with individual bathrooms and kitchenettes. The property also has a community space with a large group room, classroom, laundry, a full teaching kitchen, and small meeting rooms. An on-site case manager works closely with each student on a goal plan that includes school, work, and life skills. Each youth will receive additional benefits that support systems offer, such as financial coaching, job development, budgeting, cooking, cleaning, soft skills, and problem-solving.

This project exemplifies Brighton Center’s tag line a community of support. “We know Opportunity House will be a truly transformational opportunity – ultimately leading to educational success, employment, and self-sufficiency. We know that if our youth are successful and prepared for their future as a result of training and education in high- demand industry sectors they receive, our businesses can thrive, and ultimately our communities thrive.” said Wonda Winkler President & CEO.

“This is a special day for NKU, Brighton Center and the City of Highland Heights as we open Opportunity House,” NKU President Ashish Vaidya said. “Not long ago, Opportunity House was a vacant building that had simply sat here deteriorating for years. Now, just a little more than a year after we announced this partnership, it is a beacon of hope for learners. We are supporting the hopes, aspirations and ambitions of the region by creating opportunities for foster youth alumni. This is at the heart of what NKU prides itself on: being a student-ready institution that meets learners where they are.”

Highland Heights Mayor Meyers agreed.

“The City has been deeply committed to this project since the beginning, and we are delighted to officially welcome the new residents of Opportunity House to the City of Highland Heights, the City they now call home. A City that has Northern Kentucky University in the heart of its community clearly values the importance of education and is committed to ensuring opportunities exist for everyone to thrive. Working with Northern Kentucky University, Brighton Center, and Brighton Properties on this project has been a wonderful partnership and one I am incredibly proud of,” said City of Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers.


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