WEPA opens empowerment center doors. What residents should know about Tec Centro Lebanon.

As WEPA opens the doors of its 9th St. workforce empowerment center, organizers say it is only the first phase to provide employment services for residents.

The Working to Empower People for Advancement, or WEPA, members had a soft opening at the former Elks building Monday morning for Tec Centro Lebanon.

The goal of Tec Centro Lebanon is to help people get a better-paying, life-sustaining job, according to executive director Kay Litman. The center has a bilingual employment specialist who works with residents to find employment.

"It really is about helping people navigate the job search process because it's not always easy to do," she said. "Sometimes people don't know where to look, they don't know what opportunities are out there. So our approach is to walk by their side to help them find employment."

The empowerment center is where community leaders hope to provide education, community development and intercultural engagement for Lebanon County. Organizers have described the center will be a "one-stop shop" for job training and skills programs.

Organizers are partnering with Tec Centro, which has operated a similar center out of Lancaster for 10 years and expanded their model into other counties. An initiative of the Spanish American Civic Association, Tec Centro works with educational and community organizations to train and certify students in a variety of programs, including electrical, heating and plumbing skills.

The soft opening Monday is a strategic phased approach by organizers to provide services to residents while gaining the information needed to drive future programing, according to Litman.

"To do everything we want to do, and to do it all at once, there's so much that has to be done," she said. "Between regulations, permits, staffing and all those kind of things, we would be sitting here for another year while a lot of people need help."

A second phase will incorporate programs like literacy education, English as a second language, financial literacy and GED and HiSET preparation courses. While a date for these programs are still being set, organizers are hoping to initiate them by October.

The center has received questions about GED preparation, particularly in Spanish, according to Litman. A native Spanish speaker could take years developing their English skills before they are ready to get their GED.

"If you take English out of it, you allow them to prep and take a test in their native language," she said. "They are able to get their high school credential much quicker, and it's the same high school credential."

Organizers are still renovating the 9th Street building to provide workforce training and education classes. Litman said these would include courses that include certified nurse aide and phlebotomy technician.

"We need specialized classrooms for that, so that's why it takes a little bit of renovation," she said. "But we are looking at starting renovations soon for that part."

WEPA and Tec Centro Lebanon are nonprofit, and there is no charge to residents for employment services. While there might be fees for future course and certification programs the center may provide, Litman said WEPA organizers are not looking to create financial barriers for anyone looking to access the training.

Across Lebanon County, 27% of households have at least one person employed, yet struggle to afford basic necessities, including housing, utilities, food, child care and health care, according to the Asset Limited Income Constrained, Employed, or ALICE, report. ALICE records household incomes that exceed the federal poverty level but are not high enough to pay for basic needs.

the ALICE report: Above poverty, but below basic needs: Data shows Lebanon residents struggle to avoid 'financial ruin'

Combined with the number of residents under the federal poverty line, officials have said two in every five households in Lebanon County could be facing financial hardships.

In 2021, more than 4,300 Lebanon County residents reached out to the United Way's 211 program. The program connects families to local programs to help them with problems such as financial, housing and food assistance.

In 2022, Lebanon County Commissioners approved $750,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding for WEPA organizers to purchase the 9th Street building. Since that time, volunteers have been working to renovate the property to become the development center it is turning into.

WEPA co-founder Rafael Torres said he's excited to see the doors starting to open but added that a lot of work still needs to be done.

"There's a lot of challenges here," he said. "Most of it is structural, some of it is financial and some of it is trying to find the right fit and not trying to force it, but to organically grow," he said. "And it takes time."

Tec Centro Lebanon was only one aspect of WEPA's mission into the community. Organizers want WEPA and the empowerment center to also be at the forefront of intercultural engagement and education.

9th St. Center: WEPA organizers get funds for empowerment center to invest in local workforce training

"We're going to have workshops, we're going to have conferences, job fairs, just a lot of different community engagement because we need to engage our community members with whatever it is we need to do," Torres said.

While the new center has a bilingual staff and organizers are working on ESL programs, Litman said the center is open to anyone who needs Tec Centro's services.

"We are looking to empower all people," she said. "Anybody who is looking to advance, who wants a better job, to be employed or on a new and different career path, that's what we are here to do."

WEPA: Lebanon has workers, but they face language barriers. Here's how WEPA aims to fix that

Residents looking for more information about WEPA and Tec Centro Lebanon's services can contact organizers at 717-708-3030 or visit the website at wepaempowercenter.org. Residents can also visit the center located at 9 S. 9th Street, Lebanon, Monday through Friday.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: WEPA to begin offering employment services to residents in Lebanon Pa.