The West Chester University campus, like most college campuses, is quiet during the holiday season. The students have gone home to be with their families, writes Bill Anderson for Fox 29.

The university found out, however, that is not the case for all students, including Patricia Curley.

“During the school year I’m here like a regular student. I pay for the regular housing, but when school gets out, I worry,” Curley said.

Curley, from Romania, says she had a family that terminated her adoption and she was placed in a series of foster homes. On scholarship with no family here, when school shuts down she is essentially homeless.

She is a member of a population that, until relatively recently, WCU didn’t realize it had. When the university found out, Tori Nuccio, assistant director of financial aid, says the Promise Program was born. The program includes year-round housing, campus shuttles and a free pantry.

“Our students don’t have to go home for winter break and they don’t have to try to find a place to stay for the summer,” Nuccio said. “We welcome them here year-round.”

Read more about WCU’s Promise Program at Fox 29 here.

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