PADUCAH, KY - The Scholar House of Paducah will mark its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 2 pm on Tuesday. Guided tours of the facility at 1035 Old North Friendship Road will be provided after the ribbon cutting. Speakers  at the ceremony will include Garry Watkins, president of Wabuck Development Company, Inc., Cal Ross, president of the Paducah Housing Services, Inc., Brenda Weaver, chief office of program and policy at Kentucky Housing Corporation, Chase Venable, board president of Paducah Day Nursery, and Dr. Barbara Veazey, president of West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

The Scholar House is a housing and education initiative administered by Kentucky Housing Corporation.  The program is designed to help unemployed or underemployed Kentuckians pursue an education to become self-sufficient. Paducah's Scholar House located on Old North Friendship Road is a 48-apartment housing complex for full-time students. The $8.4  million project — a joint venture between Paducah Housing Services and Wabuck Development Corp. — provides fully equipped two-bedroom apartments to all students who qualify. Educational partners in the project include West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Paducah Junior College, the foundation of WKCTC, Murray State University, Mid-Continent University and Daymar College.

The first residents moved into the apartment complex on June 1. More than 45 students and 60 children ranging in age from two weeks to age 12 currently live at Scholar House.  The majority of students living at the Scholar House are WKCTC students. To be eligible for housing, a student must be over 18 and taking 12 or more credits per semester.  A "C" average must also be maintained to continue tenancy in the program. Students must apply and undergo a formal interview by members of the Scholar House executive board, and after acceptance, go through the process of being referred to Section 8 housing in Paducah. The rent for each unit is equivalent to 30 percent of the family’s monthly income.

For more information about the Scholar House of Paducah, call Debbie Toon, director of the Scholar House of Paducah.