The high cost of living and high rents can make it very difficult for a person to live on their own while in school. The YWCA offers college-age women another option with its new College House program.
For $300 to $450 a month, any full-time female student can rent a newly renovated room or suite.
Kick Fallon, executive director of the Haverhill YWCA, calls it dorm-style living.
There are seven units: two are single rooms and five are suites. A single is just one large room. A suite is actually two rooms with one occupant. All occupants share a kitchen and the bathrooms.
"We supply the beds and bureaus, and they bring whatever they would normally bring to a dorm from home to make it feel like home," said Fallon.
Soon the YWCA will install a washer and dryer.
Deidre Zimmerschied, a history major at Northern Essex Community College, lives in the College House in one of the suites. She uses one room as a bedroom and the other for her desk, bookshelves and some chairs.
Before Zimmerschied moved into the College House, she had a two-hour commute to Northern Essex from Tuftonboro, N.H.
"When we did this the last time, the rooms filled up. They liked our space because of the setting," said Fallon. "It's a quiet building."
Zimmerschied agrees that is a good place to live, but questions the "quiet" part.
"It's a very quiet atmosphere, but sometimes it can get noisy during the day because of the day-care," said Zimmerschied. But another time when it's not so quiet is when Zimmerschied plays her bass guitar.
The kitchen has an original tin ceiling and she loves how loud it sounds when she plays.
The location of the YWCA is convenient for Zimmerschied, who does not have a car, so she relies on public transportation. The YWCA is on the bus route.
The three women living in the College House all attend Northern Essex.
"We don't see each other enough to fight, because everyone is constantly coming and going between school and work," said Zimmerschied. "But it's a pretty dynamic environment."
The College House program offers women an affordable place to live while they get an education.
"Whatever someone's situation, we hope to be their choice while attending college," said Fallon, emphasizing the YWCA mission — the empowerment of women and the elimination of racism.
For now, Zimmerschied is excited about the soon-to-arrive washer and dryer, which will be free to residents.
