LeBron James’ I Promise School will offer transitional housing program starting in 2020

Nov. 5--CHICAGO -- A day after he had to leave his multimillion-dollar home in Brentwood because of a wildfire, LeBron James mused briefly on his past.

Had he ever been displaced by a natural disaster before, a reporter asked. Perhaps a hurricane in Miami? A storm in Cleveland? Anything comparable?

Not that he could remember, James said. But as a child, he moved a lot.

"It wasn't because of natural disasters; it was our situation," he said. "Back when I was growing up, I wouldn't -- me or my mother wouldn't -- have had the means to walk anywhere and be able to get lodging. Just had to figure it out."

Poverty drove James and his mother, Gloria, from place to place, which he remembers as one of the most challenging aspects of his childhood. He knows the value of a stable place to live, which is why his foundation is now taking steps to incorporate housing support into his I Promise program.

On Monday morning, the LeBron James Family Foundation announced the I Promise Village, a transitional housing program in Akron, Ohio, for the families who have children enrolled in the already operational I Promise School. The program's aim is to provide shelter for those families who are facing homelessness, domestic violence or other issues that affect their housing security.

In Year 2 of the school -- which already offers a food pantry, legal aid, mental health services, financial planning support and GED classes on site -- James and his foundation felt that housing was the next step in a radical approach to extending help to families well beyond the classroom.

"You can have all the support in the world while you're at school or while you're at basketball or while you're playing sports or doing anything," he said after Monday's practice. "But if you go home and it's not stable, you don't have any stability there, you're gonna resort back to the negative things or the bad habits that you might have. Sometimes it's not even the kids' fault of why the situations are the way they are."

Partnering with Graduate Hotels, the foundation will refit an apartment building near the school into temporary housing as families' needs arise. The building currently has units for 22 families, but that number could change as planners design communal spaces in the building.

James said he met Graduate Hotels CEO Ben Weprin in Cabo, Mexico, where he now has a home. The two got to talking about the I Promise School, which has been lauded for its early results for at-risk children in the Akron School District. Those initial discussions led the company into working with the foundation on the project, which is expected to be fully operational by July 2020.

"For (Weprin) to be able to bring that to our families and our kids at the IPS, to continue to expand what we want to do," James said, "it's just something that you can't even really even -- you never even dream about it until it becomes like it is now."

The school expanded some of its services for this school year, including dedicating a new media lab and an outdoor basketball court. After promising test results earlier this year, IPS now has fifth-graders enrolled into the school, which started with third- and fourth-grade students.

The foundation has expanded its outreach in the last year as they've become more familiar with the on-the-ground issues IPS families face.

"We're seeing families struggling every day with very real and oftentimes unexpected issues that turn their worlds upside down," LJFF executive director Michele Campbell said in a statement. "This will allow the family time and opportunities to grow while not worrying if they'll have a roof over their head."

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