Northwest Assistance Ministries held a ribbon-cutting today for its new building, the Harrell Family Opportunity Center. The center will allow the nonprofit to expand its vocational training opportunities, which help clients pursue better jobs with better wages, NAM President Carole Little said.
"Community has changed, but people we serve are living paycheck to paycheck," Little said at the ribbon-cutting. "We always wanted to enhance our workforce development efforts."
The 30,000-square-foot building is located at 15702 Bammel Village Drive, Houston, directly behind NAM’s headquarters on Kuykendahl Road. The building opened sooner than expected; construction began last August and was expected to take a year to complete,Little said .
“We’re two months ahead of schedule and under budget,” she said. “It was a project that was meant to be.”
NAM launched a campaign to raise money for the building in January 2014. The nonprofit needed to raise $5.3 million for the project and had raised $5.37 million when the campaign ended, Little said.
NAM is grateful to the people who donated money to the project, especially the Harrell family, which has been a longtime supporter of NAM and invested a large, undisclosed amount in the building’s construction, Little said. However, the construction would not have been possible without all of those who donated, she said.
“There were many people who stepped up—who believe in NAM and without their belief and support, the building wouldn’t be standing,” Little said.
Along with the vocational training, NAM’s resale shop at the corner of Kuykendahl Road and FM 1960 will move to the new center in September. Proceeds from the resale shop help to support NAM’s community programs, Little said.
The training center was fully operational at the time of the ribbon-cutting, Little said.
“We already have an employer wanting to do a hiring event,” she said. “And we have several employers that are popping up in the area and are doing mass hiring events, and they are always looking for places to hold those events.”
NAM was formed in 1983 when 10 interfaith congregations in the Northwest Houston area decided to collaborate on assistance programs in the community. Over time, the organization has expanded and will operate on a projected budget of $10.7 million this year, Little said.
NAM aims to assist employers by offering training for specific jobs where training is not available elsewhere, Little said.
“While there are plenty of people here, they don’t necessarily have the skills to fill those middle-wage jobs,” Little said. “It’s bridging the gap between local employers and the folks that are coming to us.”