SAC News Release

San Antonio College has received a $597,530 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program to build a community center to serve low- and moderate-income residents in the college's surrounding neighborhoods.

The Mi CASA (Career Advancement and Self-Sufficiency Assistance) Center will be an 1800 square foot building located on W. Evergreen adjacent to the Seguir Adelante Community Center, on the southern edge of the campus.

The Mi CASA Center will provide comprehensive career advancement services and wraparound social services designed to lead to further training, college enrollment, and eventual self-sufficiency. These services include career development, tax assistance, fair housing/foreclosure assistance, homebuyer education classes, financial literacy, computer literacy, social services referrals, and eligibility screening.

"We are excited about receiving this grant, which will make it possible for us to help low-to-moderate income families in nearby neighborhoods achieve economic self-sufficiency," said Dr. Robert Zeigler, President.

San Antonio College received a HUD grant in 2003 to create the Seguir Adelante Community Center for Adult Re-Entry and Education. This Center will focus on pre-college preparation, and the Mi CASA Center will provide comprehensive career advancement services and social service assistance. Construction of the Mi CASA Center will begin in late spring/summer 2008 and should be completed in August 2009.

For more information, contact Dr. Helen Vera, Chair, Programs and Services for Women and Non-Traditional Populations, at 733-2299.