Bunker Hill Community College received a $23,000 grant from the housing authority in nearby Somerville to support development of a learning community within the Boston suburb's Mystic housing project.

Known as SomerPromise, the learning community will kick off this fall, providing about 25 students who are residents of the project in nearby Somerville with faculty/staff and ...]]>

Bunker Hill Community College received a $23,000 grant from the housing authority in nearby Somerville to support development of a learning community within the Boston suburb's Mystic housing project.

Known as SomerPromise, the learning community will kick off this fall, providing about 25 students who are residents of the project in nearby Somerville with faculty/staff and peer support for their college educations, as well as assistance with their children's or sibling's elementary school education.

A cornerstone of BHCC's student success agenda, SomerPromise will work hand in hand with the Somerville Housing Authority and Somerville Public Schools to develop a holistic town-gown approach.

All the participating students have siblings or children who go to the Arthur D. Healey Elementary School in Somerville—also a partner in the program.

In recent years, the largest community college in Massachusetts has been a beacon for outreach, most recently launching classes starting at midnight for working people, offering special programs for local victims of domestic abuse and helping nurses educated in other countries to become registered nurses in Massachusetts.