6-Inches of News --Jessica Whitaker

Katie Evans, a part-time nursing student at Ozarks Technical College, works more than 30 hours every week at a home-care facility in Springfield. She would not, by any means, be considered wealthy. In fact, working full-time and going to school part-time leaves her with little free time and even less cash. She lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment just a short drive from her school. Though her situation may seem difficult, some people might say she is lucky. That’s because Evans lives in Grandview Village, one of at least three low-income housing units in Springfield that does not accept full-time students, regardless of income.

Low-income housing facilities offer opportunities for people who don’t make enough money to afford living elsewhere, but full-time college students who wish to live alone are denied the opportunity to live in these complexes because of their academic status.

The requirements to live in Grandview Village, which has a swimming pool and relatively-large floor plans, include making less than $24,000 annually and being enrolled in less than 15 hours of college courses, said an employee of the apartment complex. A one bedroom apartment in Grandview Village costs between $369 and $399 per month.

Grandview Village Apartments, a low-income housing complex on North Kentwood, is one of three apartment complexes owned by the company on the same street.

“If you’re the only one living there, you can’t be a full-time student,” said an employee of Grandview Village.

If there is more than one person living in the apartment and not all of them are full-time students, it is possible to rent from Grandview Village, said the employee.
Evans said that she thinks some low-income housing facilities don’t allow full-time students because a student who takes more classes has more options to take out loans.

“That’s the only reason I can think of,” Evans said. “I don’t see any other reason why they wouldn’t.”

As far as the condition of her living quarters, Evans said she is satisfied with the service and the general appearance of her apartment.

“It’s low-income housing, but the apartment looks nice,” she said.
Evans, a young woman living alone in her apartment, said that she doesn’t usually worry about her safety.

“It is loud sometimes, but I feel pretty safe,” she said. “Overall I feel like it’s a good deal for me.”