Bryant & Stratton College and Rochester Housing Authority Announce Partnership

FOR: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Maria Scalise

When people in Rochester need housing assistance, they often turn to the Rochester Housing Authority (RHA). When they need to earn a college degree so they can pursue a good career in a growing field, they often turn to Bryant & Stratton College. So it is a natural fit for the RHA and the college to form a partnership aimed at providing educational opportunities to RHA clients and their families.

Bryant & Stratton College and the Rochester Housing Authority today are announcing that a partnership agreement has been reached between the college and the Rochester Housing Authority to help residents as well as rha employees earn the education that they need to start careers or advance in the careers they already have. The Bryant & Stratton College/RHA partnership includes the following:

RHA Client Scholarships

Both of Bryant & Stratton College’s Rochester-area campuses, in Greece and Henrietta, will offer scholarships to RHA-clients each semester. The scholarships will be awarded to clients who demonstrate a desire to become economically independent and socially self-sufficient. The college will host events for RHA clients to provide them with information about these scholarship opportunities.

RHA Employee Scholarships

Any full-time employee of the RHA will be eligible for a Bryant & Stratton College scholarship for full-time or part-time study based on certain criteria. The college will host a “lunch and learn” session for staff to provide a college overview and scholarship details.

Internship Sites

The RHA will serve as a potential internship site for Bryant & Stratton College students. All of the college’s students are required to complete an internship in their final semester. Those pursuing the appropriate majors may be selected to work at an RHA facility to fulfill their internship requirement.

College Workshops

Bryant & Stratton College will host workshops in support of RHA’s self-sufficiency objectives.

According to Maria Scalise, Bryant & Stratton College’s Director of Community Development, “This partnership is a perfect fit. Both the RHA and Bryant & Stratton College share the goal of raising the quality of life for the people we serve. The RHA does this through housing assistance and the college through educational opportunities. Working together, we hope to help people throughout the Rochester community improve their lives.”

Gregory Jefferson, Rochester Housing Authority’s Resident Services Manager states: “The partnership that Rochester housing authority is establishing with Bryant & Stratton College is an important relationship, in that HUD is placing the onus on housing authorities across the country to seek out community educational collaborators to better the lives of public housing residents. Not only will our partnership with Bryant & Stratton accomplish this goal, but will also be an opportunity for RHA staff members to enhance their skills and pursue their own greater career objectives while still employed.”

Rochester Housing Suthority is an essential housing resource for the greater Rochester area providing quality housing and opportunities and related services for those in need.

Locally, Bryant & Stratton College’s Greece campus is located on Bellwood Drive. Their Henrietta campus is on Jefferson Road. For more information about the college or the RHA/Bryant & Stratton College partnership, contact Maria Scalise at 585-292-5627 or [email protected].