For the 44,000 female-headed households living in poverty in the Austin area, the holiday season can be a time of great stress rather than great joy. One organization seeks to break the cycle of generational poverty by strengthening low-income single mothers and their families through education and empowerment.

Jeremiah Program recently broke ground on a new housing campus serving low-income single mothers and their children. The new campus, located in the Guadalupe-Saldana Net-Zero Subdivision in East Austin, will cover nearly 50,000 square feet and will comprise 35 furnished two-bedroom apartments, a computer lab, two playground areas, and an accredited child development center with five classrooms.

While living at the campus, tenants, who must be pursuing a college degree, will complete Jeremiah Program's signature training, Embracing Your Power: Choosing to Change. In addition to a safe, affordable environment in which single mothers can finish their degree programs, children in the homes will have access to early education programs. These methods are designed to strengthen families two generations at a time to break the cycle of poverty.

According to statistics published on Jeremiah Program's website, Austin has one of the fastest growing populations of single mothers and more than 50,000 Austin-area children living in poverty. The new campus will join four units already in progress in the Guadalupe-Saldana Net-Zero Subdivision. Construction for the campus is set to begin December 14, with families able to move in by September 2016.

For more information on the program, or to volunteer, visit Jeremiah Program.