Austin Community College brings job training to homeless community

By Barbara Grumet / AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Trucks rumble down U.S. 183, passing a tall blue building: the gateway to the Esperanza Community, a homeless encampment. This building represents the future for its residents.

Beginning next month, 30 Esperanza residents will file into this new skill center to learn trade skills, with a path out of homelessness the central goal. They will pursue certifications in high-demand professions: half in HVAC and half in auto mechanics.

"ACC is helping the community, and the community is everybody on this piece of land," said Luis Castillo, manager of ACC's Skilled Trade Program.

Nearly 1,400 people live in Austin shelters, with thousands more on the streets. Housing assistance is limited, and the wait can be excruciatingly long.

"There's just not enough affordable housing, and there's not enough rental subsidies. Getting people housed needs to be attacked from every angle," said Max Moscoe, spokesman for The Other Ones Foundation, which runs Esperanza.

The job training program emerged from a partnership village. A $350,000 grant from John Paul DeJoria's PLH Foundation and contributions from the Texas Department of Transportation made the building possible. ACC provides training materials, and Workforce Solutions will cover tuition of up to $7,500 per trainee.

Workforce Solutions is eager for these workers, as Central Texas faces a projected need for 10,000 additional employees annually through 2040 in transportation and infrastructure.

"There's a real need to tap into nontraditional talent," said Sarah Garza of Workforce Solutions, "and those experiencing homelessness top that list."

Luis Castillo is confident employers will snap up graduates, with high demand and worker shortages in these fields.

Esperanza residents now have a path to train for a better future. The Other Ones Foundation has also launched Magnolia Services, a for-hire work crew providing junk removal, furthering opportunities for economic empowerment within the community.

Barbara Grumet is the Statesman’s Metro columnist. Her column, ATX in Context, contains her opinions. Share yours via email at bgrumet@statesman.com.