Tri-C President Michael Baston Tours Vía Sana

Tri-C to manage on-site job training center in new affordable housing complex

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) President Michael Baston was among a group of local leaders to get a first look at Vía Sana, Cleveland’s newest affordable housing complex on Monday, Aug. 1. The new building brings 72 affordable, one-, two- and three bedroom rental residences and a community services hub to the Clark-Fulton neighborhood on the city’s near west side.

Vía Sana — which means “healthy way” in Spanish — is the first phase of a larger $60 million investment by The MetroHealth System in developing property along West 25th St. near the system’s main campus. Developed jointly by The MetroHealth System and The NRP Group, the larger mixed-use development project’s aim is to improve the physical and economic health of people living in the community adjacent to its main campus.

Tri-C has an active role in the first phase of the project. Vía Sana will also house the MetroHealth Opportunity Center, a partnership between the College and MetroHealth’s Institute for H.O.P.E. that will offer job training, financial and digital literacy training, and access to Tri-C classes. The center is slated for completion in October.

The MetroHealth Opportunity Center is one of three Tri-C Access Centers in Cleveland, along with centers at Olivet Housing and Community Development and Esperanza Inc., with a fourth planned for Slavic Village.

“This center embodies what Tri-C has been working to do for the past several years: remove barriers to education and workforce development by taking training into the community,’’ Baston said. “The center may only be four and a half miles from our Metropolitan Campus, but for people with limited access to transportation, with limited time, it can be a significant hurdle. We must and will bridge that divide.’’

Baston was joined by local dignitaries including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, among others.

When completed, MetroHealth’s $60 million mixed-use development – including Vía Sana  ̶  will offer a total of 250 affordable and market-rate apartments and 36,000 square feet of retail space.

The residences at Vía Sana will soon be available to individuals and families earning 30% to 80% of the area’s median income. Applications are being accepted at viasanaapts.com, and first move-ins are expected to occur in September.

August 04, 2022

Erik Cassano, 216-987-3577 or erik.cassano@tri-c.edu