Local NeighborhoodLIFT grants address housing rehabilitation, workforce development, health and wellness
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) today announced a total of $500,000 in
donations to four local nonprofits to help revitalize El Paso
neighborhoods through the Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT®
program.
Identified in collaboration with City of El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, the
Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT local initiative grants for will provide
support for economic and workforce development, health and wellness and
housing rehabilitation.
“The best part about these local nonprofits is that they are creating
jobs and providing sustainable housing for El Pasoans,” said Mayor
Leeser. “From job training to home repairs, these grants will foster
economic opportunity to improve the quality of life for our communities
and residents. I salute Wells Fargo for their commitment to helping
neighborhoods and families.”
The Wells Fargo Foundation is providing grants to the following El Paso
nonprofits:
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El Paso Community Action Program Project Bravo, Inc. (PBHIP)
will receive a $125,000 grant to fund home repairs, health and safety
upgrades and accessibility construction for low-income families who
are elderly or have a disability. The program will improve the
condition and value of about 40 homes.
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Project Arriba Advanced Retraining and Redevelopment, Inc. will
receive a$125,000 grant to support job training specifically for
low-and moderate-income households. Since the program's inception
almost two decades ago, Project ARRIBA has connected over 1,200
individuals seeking a higher education, local employers needing a
skilled workforce, and providers that need help retaining at-risk
students. By the end of the 12-month program, 90 El Pasoans will have
access to case management, job placement assistance and 70 of them
will be enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso for a
Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
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Project Vida will receive a $125,000 grant to serve low- and
moderate-income populations in the Agua Dulce Colonia and Canutillo
communities. Several activities will be offered through the program,
including a curriculum-based diabetes self-management program and
support groups, healthy cooking classes, wellness support groups,
enrollment in Affordable Care Act insurance programs and/or Medicaid
and health education. The project will benefit the Canutillo community
through a full-service primary care clinic offering a range of medical
services for all ages.
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Workforce Solutions Borderplex, Inc. will receive a $125,000
grant to partially fund a year-long initiative to train and place
veterans into in-demand occupations in El Paso. The long-term goal is
to build a pathway for economic prosperity that will lead to
homeownership and other financially sustaining outcomes for
participants. Approximately 60 veteran program participants are
expected to achieve certification training in information technology
and construction. Support services will be provided to prep
participants in financial literacy, credit repair and loan application
activities as they complete training.
The grants are funded through Wells Fargo’s NeighborhoodLIFT program
that was launched in December 2016 for El Paso-area homebuyers with a
$4.5 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local homeownership and
revitalize neighborhoods. To date, NeighborhoodLIFT has
created about two dozen homeowners in El Paso, and more than 1,000 in
Texas, by offering homebuyer education plus matching down payment
assistance grants up to $7,500.
More than 300 down payment assistance grants are still available and
interested homebuyers may contact NeighborWorks America’s local network
member, Tierra
del Sol Housing Corporation, or Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in El Paso
for information about eligibility requirements.
“Wells Fargo cares about communities and we are making these investments
to continue the revitalization effort to strengthen El Paso,” said
Christine Gallegos, El Paso district manager for Wells Fargo’s Community
Bank. “These nonprofits are actively leading efforts to help create
jobs, promote wellness, encourage higher education, provide sustainable
housing and much more. This commitment is another example of the many
efforts we are making to build better communities.”
About NeighborhoodLIFT
NeighborhoodLIFT® program is the single largest corporate
philanthropic effort of its kind in Wells Fargo’s history. In
collaboration with NeighborWorks America, the Wells Fargo LIFT program
has helped create more than 13,700 homeowners in 52 communities since
2012. A video about NeighborhoodLIFT programs is posted on Wells
Fargo Stories.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based
financial services company with $2.0 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852
and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking,
insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance
through more than 8,500 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet
(wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and
territories to support customers who conduct business in the global
economy. With approximately 273,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one
in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was
ranked No. 27 on Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest
corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’
financial needs and help them succeed financially. News, insights and
perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells
Fargo Stories.