Arlington’s EnVison Center will help families with finances, health and education
Arlington residents who need help with their finances, health and education will soon have easier access to services designed to assist in those areas.
The EnVision Center, a project headed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will help connect residents in need with dentists, doctors, educators, housing, food and financial and tax assistance.
The center will accept walk-in visits by anybody who needs assistance at its location at 401 W. Sanford St. An online form will soon be available for residents who cannot make it to the center.
Arlington’s EnVision Center will be the 39th in the nation and the fourth in Texas. Fort Worth’s is in Stop Six; San Antonio and Brownsville also have EnVision Centers.
Benjamin DeMarzo, HUD deputy secretary for field policy and management, said the goal of the EnVision Center is not only to connect people with services but also give them tools to achieve self-sufficiency.
The center will also host classes, workshops and United Way of Tarrant County’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance services.
DeMarzo said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, more commonly known as the FDIC, teaches financial literacy classes.
He said Arlington was chosen because of strong leadership from Mayor Jeff Williams and the City Council.
Williams said he believes one reason the city was selected for the center is its track record of getting things done.
He is excited that the EnVision Center will host services relating to economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness and character and leadership, which HUD Secretary Ben Carson describes as the four pillars of self-sufficiency.
Mindy Cochran, executive director of the Arlington Housing Authority, said one of the best things about the center is that these services are no longer restricted to residents benefiting from the Arlington Housing Authority.
The center will also be purchasing software to track the progress of those who use services. Cochran said showing the success of the EnVision Center could lead to funding for services from HUD.
Arlington resident LaCheryl Royal said these services have already had an impact on her.
Royal arrived in Arlington a year ago, selling her car to move from west Texas with the dream of being a teacher and owning a small business.
She said one of her first days in Arlington she was feeling spiritually drained. After dropping her kids off at pre-school, Royal said she took a ride to the Walmart on Randol Mill Road, “the place we all go when our souls need replenishment.”
There she said a Walmart employee could see she was down and told her to cheer up.
“ ‘It’s the American Dream City,’ she told me,” Royal said. “That’s when I remembered that I moved to Arlington because of that slogan: the American Dream City.”
Royal said services like those offered at the EnVision Center can make Arlington that dream city for most residents.
She took her teacher certification test Feb. 20 and was accepted into a class to help Arlington residents forge their own small businesses on Tuesday, feats she said were made more accessible by services in the city.