Success Stories
Victoria Masih: 2015 PMF
In 2017 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched a program called EnVision Centers. They are community hubs around the country that focus on four pillars: economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and well-being, and leadership and character. The goal is to empower individuals and families to excel in all four of these pillars in a setting that provides community support. My job at HUD was pivotal in helping set up EnVision Centers across the country. I did this by establishing an Interagency Group that included other Federal Agencies to coalesce and unify our services and tools to help communities achieve success in every aspect of their lives. Agencies included but were not limited to Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury.
There was no funding set aside specifically for EnVision Centers. Current and existing funding was used to leverage services across the spectrum of the EnVision Centers hub. Non-profits, public housing authorities, and other organizations interested in social justice/advancement became EnVision Centers. Currently there are 100 EnVision Centers across the country. They have been pivotal in engaging the community in pandemic education, and distributing/administring vaccines. EnVision Centers have been more than just an establishment of a goal. They have become thriving and flourishing community centers where families and individuals gather to train, learn, build and move themselves out of poverty.
Please check out the website that I helped build (https://www.hud.gov/envisioncenters) and the video showcasing the Bowling Green EnVision Center (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ykAAhPKLfw)
I had an extremely hard-working group of colleagues who helped reach the goal of 100 EnVision Centers across the nation.