Help wanted: Child care workers. Free housing provided.

There’s a new type of community being built in New Haven, just a 10-minute drive from Yale University. From the ruins of an old rock quarry, a village of multifamily houses is sprouting. 

What sets it apart is whom these homes are for: Friends Center for Children is building rent-free workforce housing as a salaried benefit for employees.

Paris Pierce and her three children were among the first to move in. She had been spending an entire paycheck, plus half of another, on rent for a one-bedroom apartment. After groceries and utilities, she was left with close to nothing.

In their new home, she and her children have their own bedrooms. With room in her budget, she can afford extracurriculars like cheerleading for her daughter and swimming lessons for her youngest.

Workforce housing is being explored in the United States as a recruitment and retention strategy across the education sector.

“This is still an innovation and an experiment that requires further study,” says Kim Anderson, executive director of the National Education Association. She thinks it’s wise for school districts to think about benefits like workforce housing. But “there’s no substitute for a professional wage. We don’t have an absence of qualified individuals and educators in this country. We have an absence of fairly paid education jobs.”

There’s a new type of community being built in New Haven, just a 10-minute drive from Yale University. From the ruins of an old rock quarry, a village of multifamily houses is sprouting on 2 acres of land. 

An open, shared courtyard will tie together the families, most of whom have young children. However, what sets this community apart is whom these homes are for. The budding village is only for child care workers. Friends Center for Children is building rent-free workforce housing as a salaried benefit for employees.

After five years working with young children, Paris Pierce was searching for ways to keep doing the work she loves. The 20-something had found her calling in caring for children under 3 years old, but her job came with challenges. 

The mother of three was spending an entire paycheck, plus half of another, on rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New Haven. After groceries and utilities, she was left with close to nothing.

“That’s still before anything the kids might need,” adds Ms. Pierce. “We made it work, but it was tough. I was always looking for ways to make more money while staying in child care.”

Workforce housing is being explored in the United States as a recruitment and retention strategy across the education sector. However, the potential solution is so new that most evidence of its effect i