Project PRC names 10 Prairie View A&M students for new housing scholarship

Project PRC will honor the first 10 Prairie View A&M students in its Housing Scholars Program on Oct. 16 in Prairie View, Texas. The pilot awards $1,250 per semester to each student and is meant to help address housing insecurity that can derail enrollment.

Why it matters: - Housing insecurity can push college students out of school, and Project PRC is using direct aid to help keep students housed and enrolled. - The pilot also gives Project PRC a new way to extend its housing-stability model into student housing communities.

What happened: - Project PRC named 10 Prairie View A&M University students as the first recipients of its Housing Scholars Program. - The students were selected from more than 60 applicants through a vetted, needs-based review. - Project PRC will recognize the inaugural cohort at a College Housing Scholarship Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Prairie View, Texas. - Each student will receive $1,250 per semester toward housing costs. - The fall 2026 pilot totals $12,500 in scholarship support. - The pilot launched at 625 at Prairie View, an off-campus student housing community serving Prairie View A&M students.

The details: - Project PRC is a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on housing stability. - The Housing Scholars Program applies Project PRC’s housing-stability model directly to college students. - Project PRC also offers rental assistance, rent subsidy, eviction-avoidance and financial-literacy programs through needs-based processes. - Program details are available at projectprc.org. - The College Housing Scholarship Ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CST at 625 at Prairie View Apartments, 625 Elm St, Prairie View, TX 77484. - Media will be able to photograph and film scholarship presentations and interview Barnes about student housing insecurity, the Housing Scholars Program and Project PRC’s expansion plans. - Interviews with scholarship recipients may be available by prior arrangement, and student participation in media interviews is voluntary.

Between the lines: - Prairie View A&M University is not a sponsor or partner of the Housing Scholars Program. - Project PRC is starting with one off-campus property and wants to use that pilot to build a wider network of participating housing communities. - The expansion strategy is designed to connect property owners, donors, sponsors and institutional partners to more housing-stability support. - A 2018 study cited by Prairie View A&M found that 13% of 576 surveyed students reported experiencing homelessness, and 37% reported knowing enrolled students facing homelessness, food insecurity or clothing insecurity. - Nationally, the Hope Center’s summary of federal data from the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study says 8% of undergraduates experienced homelessness, or about 1.4 million students.

What's next: - Project PRC plans to invite additional off-campus student housing owners and managers into its Network of Communities after the Prairie View pilot. - The nonprofit says that network is intended to expand housing-stability resources to more students through participating properties and partners. - Project PRC is also using the scholarship program to build awareness around student housing insecurity and raise support for future cohorts.

The bottom line: - Project PRC is betting that small, direct housing grants can help students stay in school while creating a scalable model for campus-adjacent housing support.