Chad Frey. Photo by Dani Fresh.
To Chad Frey, being a neighbor means so much more than living next to someone.
That’s because, to Frey, being a neighbor is a responsibility. Being a neighbor is a calling. Being a neighbor is an expression of love.
“I like to frame neighboring as a verb and look at it on an interpersonal level,” Frey explained. “I like to wonder: What does it mean for institutions to be part of a neighborhood?”
Frey has been tackling that question through his role as president and CEO of the Neighboring Academy, an in-school program at Steelton-Highspire High School that aims to break cycles of poverty by creating pathways to homeownership for students.
The idea for the academy was borne out of a response to the local housing crisis. As community members met to discuss the issue, Frey started to observe how the concern for affordable housing was “bubbling up” among local educational leaders, as well as community stakeholders.
Fast-forward to 2022, when the first Neighboring Academy pilot program was launched as a six-week summer program. The camp began with 10 rising ninth graders at Steelton-Highspire, and its focus was to help equip students with the abilities to become responsible citizens by expanding access to capital and preparing those students to make future homes in their communities.
In addition to educating students on financial literacy, the program helps them set up checking and savings accounts, teaches them how to save for a future home, and connects them with local leaders and businesses as a means to establish a network of professionals upon graduating high school, among other goals.
“Part of interrupting cycles of poverty is introducing ways to break those intergenerational cycles,” Frey said. “Home ownership is one of those very strategic things that has potential to be wealth-creating, and there are real challenges facing folks of color to attain home ownership. We want those students to build social capital, and we called that ‘neighboring.’ We want them to understand that they have a lot of neighbors that can help them succeed.”
Josh Aponte. Photo by Dani Fresh.
Changing Lives
One of the students that has grown up in the Neighboring Academy is Josh Aponte, who was made aware of the program by attending a school assembly in eighth grade. He heard what the academy offered and thought it would be a good way to make money through work experience with a partnering business. Once his mother signed off on it, Aponte enrolled.
What he found out, however, was that the program offered so much more than a vehicle to earn a few extra bucks as a teenager.
“It’s opened up so many opportunities,” Aponte, who is going into his senior year of high school, reflected. “I have such a wide network of neighbors that I can do whatever I want in life now. It’s given me exposure to so many different companies and businesses.”
That exposure has come in the form of getting a head start on acquiring professional skills. Earlier this summer, Aponte was part of a class that worked to become OSHA certified. During his junior year, a typical day would mean taking four core courses at Steelton-Highspire, eating lunch, and then volunteering at a UPMC hospital.
Aponte’s story is one of many that Frey is proud of, and it comes at a special time for the academy. For the first time, the program this summer featured students who have been with the initiative for their entire four years of high school. It’s a testament to both the commitment of the people who helped launch the program and the students who stuck with the vision offered to them.
“This program has helped change the lives of students,” Frey proudly relayed. “There were a number of students at the beginning who came in and were at risk. We weren’t sure if they were going to be able to continue in a public school setting, but they’ve come a long, long way.”
Now, these students consistently receive awards and scholarships, he said.
“The story of the Neighboring Academy truly is neighbors coming together to build something out of nothing,” Frey added. “In terms of what makes this go, what’s really at the heart of everything, is that love we have for our neighbors.”
For more information about the Neighboring Academy, visit www.neighboringacademy.org.
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