The Walgreen Company is America's 14th largest retailer, according to Fortune Magazine, and is proud to call itself "The Pharmacy America Trusts." That's one reason why it's impressive that Walgreens trusts HUD's Neighborhood Networks to help them find subsidized housing residents for the company's career track program.

The timing couldn't have been better: the kick-off celebration of this unique public/private partnership in Houston took place during National Neighborhood Week, and helped to underscore just how many ways Neighborhood Networks benefits residents of HUD subsidized housing.

Recent graduates of the Walgreens Training Program appear as part of the pledge-signing ceremony. These graduates are now ready to help fill the many positions Walgreens will have in the Houston area.

Walgreens was interested in creating an Employment Referral program with HUD's Neighborhood Network Centers, and chose the Houston Neighborhood Networks Inc. (HNNI) Consortium to begin a pilot program. HUD's Neighborhood Networks National Partnership Program provided technical assistance to Walgreens in their outreach to subsidized housing residents for the company's career track programs in Management, Cosmetician and Pharmacy Technician. Founded in 1901, Walgreens serves more than 2.6 million customers daily and is the leader of the U.S. chain drugstore industry in sales, store growth and technology use.

Brenda Nicholas (far right), Board President for Houston Neighborhood Networks, Inc., signs the Walgreens' Employment Referral Program Pledge. To the far left are Robin Johnson, HUD National Neighborhood Networks Partnership Program, and Jim Ward of Walgreens Houston District Office.

HNNI has a unique 26-member computer technology center consortium consisting of Multifamily and Public Housing Neighborhood Networks Centers. In a Partnership Pledge ceremony on August 15, 2002 held at the Housing Authority of the City of Houston's Housing Training Institute (HTI), Walgreens drugstores and Houston Neighborhood Networks Consortium read and signed a pledge formalizing their commitment. In the pledge, Walgreens stores agree to use Neighborhood Networks Centers as an additional source for recruitment of new employees in the Southeast Texas Region, while Houston Neighborhood Networks, Inc., agrees to refer to Walgreens qualified candidates to pursue careers in retail sales or as pharmacy technicians.

A new class of students begins the process of learning about employment related skills needed to qualify for their first position with Walgreens. For training purposes, in the background are store shelves with actual merchandise found in Walgreens' stores.

Using facilities at HTI, subsidized housing residents are given retail/customer service training, computer training and job placement assistance at no charge to the participants. These facilities include HTI's very own "Walgreens Store" used in practical, hands-on training classes to prepare new service clerks, cosmeticians, pharmacy technicians, or one-hour photo specialists for employment with Walgreens. This ready source of trained employees is important to the Walgreens Company, which will open five new stores in the Houston area during the month of August. As explained by Jim Ward, Southeast District Manager for Walgreens' Houston District Office, each of Walgreens' approximately 3,300 stores employs 20 to 25employees. The Walgreens Company intends to increase its total number of stores to 6,000 by 2010, a goal they can reach only if qualified employees can be hired and retained.

The Neighborhood Networks Centers are valuable sources for new employees because the Centers are able to refer "instant employees" to individual Walgreens stores, according to Jackie Barnd, a Group Manager in Performance Development with Walgreens' Corporate Office.

During her uplifting presentation she said, "It's not just a job it's a career opportunity!" Ms Barnd herself has moved up through the company from sales clerk into national management, and her remark has become the consortium's local motto for the program.
Walgreens Houston Southeast District Manager, Jim Ward, also is a "career ladder" success story with the company. The company says it is committed to expanding into new markets, including inner city areas, and offering new employment opportunities to local residents. Whether working part time or full time, all Walgreens employees are entitled to benefits, and Walgreens is also committed to promoting from within - as Ward and Barnd prove - and readily convert employees from part time to fulltime employment. New employees may be entering into a career path in working for the company.

Brenda Nicholas, Board President for Houston Neighborhood Networks, Inc., said that it was important for the program's trainees to understand that they were "… only here temporarily…" their greater goal that of independence and possible homeownership could only be realized if they were employed. Because of all of the vision, hard work and commitment of HUD's National Neighborhood Networks program; its Director Delores Pruden; Walgreens; the Housing Authority; and Houston's HUD staff, many subsidized housing residents now have a real chance to pursue their dreams and a better way of life.