HUD Designates New EnVision Center in Florida

EnVision Success offers Tampa Housing Authority residents an Internet Café, workshops, job fairs and educational opportunities

Tampa's EnVision Success EnVision Center team serves resident families and the local community by offering the tools and support needed to achieve self-sufficiency.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Southeast Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett announced the recent designation of Tampa Housing Authority's EnVision Success site as an EnVision Center in Florida. 'EnVision Success' serves Hillsborough County with an emphasis on Tampa Housing Authority (THA) residents. It features an Internet Café, Jobs Plus Initiative, space for meetings, small offices, and is home to tenant's active Resident Council.

"EnVision Centers are our way of bringing hope and opportunity in collaboration with our key partners to communities," said HUD Regional Administrator Cleveland-Leggett. "EnVision Centers were created with a simple goal in mind: To empower people to reach their greatest potential by helping them become self-sufficient. Tampa's EnVision Success is a great example of how the centers take a holistic approach to community revitalization, going beyond brick and mortar investments."

"We are excited about the EnVision Center designation and will continue to provide outstanding service to our residents," said Tampa Housing Authority President/ CEO Jerome Ryans as he welcomed the designation.

THA has several partnerships in place to provide adult and youth services through sports programming, educational opportunities and mentoring. The housing authority has a successful YouthBuild program. Additionally, the EnVision Center promotes leadership to adults through the Family Self-Sufficiency program. A home ownership program is already in place as well as on-site financial workshops, utility and food assistance, plus cooking and fitness classes. The site also offers job fairs and direct referrals for job training/certificate programs and provides linkages to address mental health.

EnVision Centers have four pillars: Economic Empowerment, Educational Advancement, Health and Wellness, and Character and Leadership. All are directly connected to the THA mission of "Cultivating Affordable Housing While Empowering People and Communities".

The EnVision Center plans to launch a mobile unit which will allow THA to take EnVision Success "on the road". The EnVision Center designation took place in October 2020 and makes EnVision Success the second such center in Florida, following the designation of Jacksonville's Sulzbacher Village in November 2019.

###