BUENA VIDA CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD HEADQUARTERS IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, DESIGNATED AS HUD ENVISION CENTER

FORT WORTH - Today at an event in Brownsville, Texas, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officially designated the Buena Vida Choice Neighborhood Headquarters as an EnVision Center.

This designation serves as a critical component of HUD Secretary Ben Carson's EnVision Center initiative to offer a more holistic housing approach by connecting HUD-assisted families with the tools that can lead to self-sufficiency.

"EnVision Centers are a way to connect local resources with the people who need them the most. From job training classes to financial counseling, vital services will be provided that will have an unimaginable impact on the lives of the people being helped," said HUD Region VI Deputy Regional Administrator Leslie Bradley, who spoke at the event. "I look forward to seeing the brighter futures the EC will bring to the Brownsville community."

"This is an amazing opportunity that provides a tremendous set of tools for the residents of this community," said Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez. "I would like to thank the Housing Authority director and all board members for their hard work on achieving this designation. It is another positive step forward in Brownsville's newfound synergy."

"On behalf of the HACB Board of Commissioners, we thank HUD for this designation and their partnership to support our families to reach self-sufficiency," said Carla Mancha, Chief Executive Officer with the Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville. "We will build on what we have learned from other initiatives and continue to create programming that focuses on an approach where the importance of housing is not the structure, but the success of our families."

EnVision Centers are centralized hubs that serve as an incubator to support four key pillars of self-sufficiency - (1) Economic Empowerment, (2) Educational Advancement, (3) Health and Wellness, and (4) Character and Leadership. The Brownsville EnVision Center is one of only three EnVision Centers in Texas.

The Brownsville Envision Center will continue to support the efforts identified through the Buena Vida Choice Neighborhood Initiative.

Services provided within the Brownsville EnVision Center include:

• Youth Leadership and Internship Programs (Character and Leadership Pillar)
• Capacity Building for members of the Resident Association Boards (Character and Leadership Pillar)
• ESL, STEM, Coding, and Financial Literacy Classes /Workshops made possible through public/private partnerships (Educational Advancement)
• Health classes made possible through numerous partnerships which focus on diabetes prevention and other topics centered around improving health outcomes (Health and Wellness)
• FSS and ROSS-SC programs, capacity building for small businesses, and workforce training hosted by different organizations (Economic Empowerment)

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