These Fort Worth organizations are knocking down barriers to help residents earn a GED
Tootk Greathouse was hesitant to start GED preparation courses because of her age. She questioned if it was too late. However, family members encouraged her to pursue her goal because of the many benefits.
“Nowadays, you have to have it in order to get a decent job,” said Greathouse, 53, of Fort Worth.
However, access to GED preparation and adult education programs can be difficult for people who have family responsibilities, are experiencing homelessness or don’t have access to reliable transportation. They can also be difficult to reach for those who don’t speak English.
Literacy programs in Texas serve less than 4% of the people who need adult education programs, according to a 2016 presentation by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
But some Tarrant County nonprofits are stepping in to help people overcome those barriers.
Reaching out to those experiencing homelessness
Union Gospel Mission serves serves people experiencing homelessness in Tarrant County. Aretha McJimson, director of therapeutic programs, said she noticed many people who are not staying in shelters do not access services at the same rate as those who are. Some people experiencing homelessness may be living in their car or on the street.
So the organization created Club 1401 in January to provide GED and reading literacy courses for people who are not staying in a shelter. McJimson came up with the idea when thinking about how the organization could help more people.
“I’ve realized that not a lot of people have an education above eighth grade and some are lower than that,” McJimson said.
One in 5 adults in Tarrant County can’t read well enough to succeed at a fourth grade level, according to the Tarrant Literacy Coalition.
A lack of education, income or affordable housing can lead someone to experience homelessness. Tarrant County has the fifth highest rental costs in the state.
Serving Fort Worth’s Las Vegas Trail
Greathouse learned about GED prep classes from LVT Rise, which connects residents to services in the Las Vegas Trail area, where the majority of residents earn less than $30,000 a year, according to Willie Rankin, the executive director.
LVT Rise noticed some residents couldn’t take GED courses because of their work schedule or child care issues. Rankin said more needs to be done to help the residents.
Greathouse attends the four-hour long classes twice a week.
“It’s been a journey. I’ve been out of school for some years,” Greathouse said. “Some of this stuff I forgot about.”
When Greathouse was younger, she worked while attending school. However, she had to put her education aside in order to help raise her niece and nephew.
Greathouse doesn’t have a computer at home, so she takes the classes online at the LVT Rise community center.
She is on disability and hopes the GED courses can help her land a good part-time job. Median earnings for those with a high school diploma are $746 a week compared to $592 for those without.
“We noticed there’s a very high interest of people who’ve said that this is something they want,” Rankin said.
It is easier for Greathouse, a single mother, to focus on her education now that her daughter is in high school. Greathouse said she often speaks to her daughter about the importance of an education. Her daughter is taking college-prep classes and plans a visit to Texas A&M University.
“As a single parent, you want kids to have better than you have,” Greathouse said.
ESL needs in Fort Worth
In Fort Worth, 35.3% of the population speaks a language other than English at home, and 17.6% of residents were born outside of the United States.
LVT Rise needs translators to help people fill out applications for jobs or social services. The Fort Worth Public Library offers the only free Spanish language GED preparation program in Tarrant County.
The GED course helps participants complete a personal goal, improve career opportunities, fulfill citizenship requirements, and show their children the importance of an education, said Jana Hill, the library’s adult services manager.
“We’re seeing a demand for the program in the evenings, the weekends and maybe in the summer when other organizations are not offering it heavily,” Hill said.
The library created a virtual version of the GED course to adjust to the pandemic. The virtual classes have allowed many stay-at-home mothers to enroll instead of needing to secure child care.
The course has shown the library staff that many participants also want to learn English. The library is offering a pilot program and will be launching an in-person ESL program at the Diamond Hill/Jarvis branch this year.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 5:15 AM.
