A second rent-free house, the Malthouse-Pilot Scholarship House, has been formally dedicated in FGCU’s North Lake Village.
The house stands alongside the Gresham-Kite Pilot Scholarship House, which opened in 2003. Both have the capacity to house 17 students each, and were built by the Southern Scholarship Foundation, an organization devoted to providing rent-free housing for Florida students.
The president and CEO of the foundation, Shawn Woodin, explained the application process, and the requirements residents must meet to be eligible.
“Our basic eligibility is that a student has a 3.0 GPA or higher, and financial need which we base off of the FAFSA,” Woodin said. “We also look for someone who will be able to share a house with 16 other people, because there’s a lot of collaboration.”
Each resident fulfills a role in their house, whether that’s serving as house treasurer to collect semesterly utility bills, a business manager who does the shopping, or even a media coordinator.
According to the Waller, Weeks, and Johnson Rental Index, the average rent in the Southwest Florida area is $2,200 a month, which is difficult for students who also need to budget for food, tuition, and transportation.
Emilee Perry is the house manager for the Malthouse-Pilot Scholarship House. She spoke to the life-changing opportunities that being a part of the program gave her, on top of the $84,000 living rent-free saved her over four years.
“It has really allowed me to develop so much as a person, like in my leadership skills to what I can take away for a job,” Perry said. “I’ve enjoyed my time in this house so much.”
Both FGCU homes currently have residents, but are not at full capacity. Applications are open through April 1 at southernscholarship.org.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.