We're Here to Help.

“At Community Family Centers, you are first introduced to the team when you walk in the front door,” Maritza Guerrero, CEO and President of Community Family Centers, says. Finding a way for people in need to become self-sufficient is a process that that’s carried out quite methodically. A 40-minute assessment is done with each client in which they’re asked a variety of questions to figure out their real requirements.

Food, education, child care, and other things that make it possible for folks who are struggling to eventually become contributing members of society. The team distributes so much food to people in the community, in fact, that it is second only to the Houston Food Bank in tonnage distributed in Southeast Texas.

Many people in the neighborhood are able to obtain their GEDs after taking the general education classes Community Family Centers has to offer as well as sharpen their English reading, writing, and speaking skills in ESL courses. There is also a Montessori school on site.

“At Community Family Centers, you are first introduced to the team when you walk in the front door.”

Read the full story on Construction Citizen

More than 250 adults attend classes every day to learn English, work toward obtaining a GED, or both. In the Gulfton area, 43% of the young adults who show up for programs don’t have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Tackling that challenge also means putting kids on the right track from the very beginning. In 2015, Neighborhood Centers became the largest Head Start provider in the region serving more than 3,000 children across 30 locations.

Helping hard-working people make a seamless transition into a career requires close coordination with local colleges and the 11 Workforce Solutions career offices operated by Neighborhood Centers. Last year, more than 200,000 Workforce Solutions customers were served, Villalobos said. And the success rate is huge: 70% of those who were unemployed found a job within 3 months.

Read the full story on Construction Citizen

The option to enter the construction industry seemed like the right decision for Chris Pullen. He likes to build things, and the industry presented opportunities for growth. But at times, his path up the career ladder was a trying trip.

“I started at the bottom of the totem pole and made my way up…I looked for training on my own. I came to CMEF (the Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation) and took advantage of being able to go through the [NCCER] modules.”

Now Pullen guides pipe helpers on the job site, providing instruction to those looking to enhance their career just like he did. He says the industry is constantly changing. Pullen feels there are more opportunities for those just starting out than when he entered the field.

“My biggest success is never giving up, never being satisfied and always wanting something more. It’s best to go out and seek training, and I found it at CMEF.”

Read the full story on Construction Citizen