Wells Fargo donates $500,000 for El Paso-area revitalization efforts
Local NeighborhoodLIFT grants address housing rehabilitation, workforce development, health and wellness
EL PASO, TEXAS June 21, 2017 /3BL Media/ – 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
