The Residences at Career Gateway is an innovative workforce-housing concept that provides affordable living and seeks to “heal” the neighborhood by addressing social determinants of health while helping residents gain important workforce skills. The project is the result of a partnership between The NRP Group, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Community Development for All People (CD4AP), an organization that offers family and job support services to the Columbus community. The Residences at Career Gateway is located in the southside neighborhood near Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which offers a job-training program in the community and has a track record of hiring in the area.

With this pioneering partnership, NRP has shown how a development can go beyond simply providing shelter to also serve as a place where residents can thrive and learn the skills needed to improve their overall quality of life. By expanding their reach beyond the hospital walls, health care organizations across the country have the potential to engage their surrounding communities, and Career Gateway is an exceptional example of how successful this model can be.

The community training center is another indication of success. In 2019, NRP’s partner, Community Development For All People, hosted 11 career boot camps in the training center. Participants were a combination of residents and others from the local community who overcame background barriers to learn new skills like digital literacy, resume writing, and other soft skills. Following the programs, about 56 percent of the participants involved with the bootcamps found employment.

The Residences at Career Gateway is designed to be a replicable model to help individuals and families facing similar challenges.