The Community Enrichment Center’s (CEC) mission is to restore hope,
share God’s love and change lives in our community. The CEC is a faith-based
non-profit serving Tarrant County families in crisis by providing the resources,
tools and encouragement these families need to improve their lives and become
self-sufficient.
Community Ministries
Formed in 1988, the CEC first started as a ministry of Richland Hills Church
of Christ that offered groceries to low-income individuals and families. Today
the pantry serves thousands of families, seniors and disabled people in Northeast
Tarrant County. One of the largest food pantries in Tarrant County, last year
the Food Pantry distributed more than 600,000 pounds of food to 33,000 people. In
addition to grocery assistance, the Pantry also offers referrals to other CEC
programs and social service agencies to help families move from crisis to stability.
Through the Food Pantry, the CEC discovered many seniors
who came to the Pantry lived alone and were in need of a social network to help
them remain independent. In 2004, the CEC started the Senior Network.
The program meets weekly on Wednesdays at the CEC and includes social time, devotionals,
games and service projects. In addition to the weekly program, participating
seniors also receive groceries to help supplement their income.
The Single-Parent Family Network was also created from
the Food Pantry’s
outreach ministry. This program addresses the issues that single parents face
by offering a monthly community building program just for single parents. Participating
single parents meet at a local church for social time, dinner and a speaker.
Adopt-A-Family
In 1990, a concerned volunteer recognized the need for a program to provide transitional
housing and social services to homeless people in her community. She challenged
her church, Richland Hills Church of Christ, as well as the other churches in
the community to “adopt” homeless families. By adopting a family,
churches would provide volunteers to maintain the house, donate furniture to
the homeless family living in the house, and provide a volunteer case manager
to work with the family. Soon after, the CEC’s Adopt-A-Family program was
up and running and the CEC’s primary role was obtaining the housing and
raising the money to subsidize the expenses of the houses.
At that time the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) allowed organizations serving the homeless to lease foreclosed houses for
a dollar a year if the agency would cover the costs of insurance, maintenance,
and taxes. In the mid-1990’s
HUD changed the program so that agencies had to either purchase the homes or
return them to HUD. In 1997, the CEC purchased 64 homes and 16 townhomes.
As Adopt-A-Family grew the CEC took over the maintenance
of houses and professional social services for the families. Today the role of
churches is to provide volunteer mentors to families and financial support for
the Adopt-A-Family program.
To date the Adopt-A-Family Program has served approximately
1,000 families. At
any point in time, the CEC is housing approximately 225 adults and children,
most of these families are headed by single mothers with 2-3 young children.
In 2007, more than 85% of the families who completed the program moved into permanent
housing of their own and more than 90% increased their income. The success
of the Adopt-A-Family Program has been recognized by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development with a “Best Practice” Awards.
Open Arms
In 2006, the CEC merged with the Open Arms Home, Inc., a non-profit formed in
1998 to offer long-term transitional housing and services to victims of domestic
violence and their children. Open Arms is now a
major program of the CEC with the capacity to house up to 24 families at any
point in time.
In addition to housing, the program provides women and
their children with professional counseling and group therapy to help them deal
with issues related to domestic violence. Women also receive assistance with
education and employment to help them become self-sufficient so they can support
themselves and their children once they complete the program.
Through the merger the CEC also inherited the Second Glance Resale Shop located
in North Richland Hills. Second Glance offers bargains on gently used clothing,
household items and furniture. Donations are accepted at the store and many times
these donations go directly to families in CEC housing programs. Items sold at
the store generate income to support the Open Arms Program.
Education & Employment Services
The CEC has always recognized the importance that education and job opportunities
play in the success of families working towards self-sufficiency. Job
Club was created to help participants improve their job opportunities and earning
power. Open to the general public, Job Club participants can search for jobs
online, create resumes and receive one-on-one counseling on educational and career
options.
In 2007, the CEC expanded its Resource Room by adding additional
computer work stations and educational software. The larger room also accommodates
more participants for Job Club and Literacy for Life. According to the Tarrant
county United Way, 25% of adults in Tarrant County cannot read a menu or complete
a job application due to their inability to read. Literacy
for Life was
started to help adults improve their reading skills and prepare for the GED.
Free to the public, participants receive individual attention to meet their learning
needs and goals.
Make a Difference in the Lives of Families in Need
CEC programs
focus on helping families in crisis make the changes needed to support themselves
so they can become responsible and productive contributors to our community.
Over the years, the CEC has been blessed to partner with
local government, churches, businesses, community service organizations, schools,
and individuals to help families in our community break the cycle of homelessness
and poverty.
If you would like to support the CEC’s efforts to help families in our
community, please visit Our Support and/or Volunteer. |
