Nonpro t
BY CODY THORN
Lisa Rose is the founder and CEO of The Gatehouse, a non-pro t based in Grapevine.
COURTESY THE GATEHOUSE
The Gatehouse held its 10th anniversary celebration at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
COURTESY GRANT MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY
O cials from The Gatehouse celebrate 10 years
is called Project HandUp, based on the premise that we really do get women ready to work at it so they are empowered to set goals and remove their barriers that keep them stuck. They leave with a career-based income and the skills to manage their physical, emotional, nancial and spiritual health. Our program is not emergency assistance or short term, and we don’t put mandates on the issues. We o er ample time, the resources and the relation- ships for change to be permanent. Can you talk a little bit about the new program? CH: With us starting the Career Track in 2015 when we opened, the goal of the program has always been for women and single moms to have the time, the resources and the support to get to that self sustainability. But once COVID-19 hap- pened, so many women were needing to go back to school. We launched the Education Track in 2023 that’s focused on single-mother students who are completing the last two years of a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. There were women who weren’t needing the full degree. They were just looking to get started in a new industry through a vocation or an associate degree program. We launched our Vocation Track as a direct response to that need. How big is the need for this program in this area? LR: Only 27% of single moms complete a degree within six years. Half of our population are women, yet women are underemployed and unemployed,
The Gatehouse, which helps single mothers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, celebrated its 10th anniversary April 17. During the event held at AT&T Stadium, the new Vocation Track was added to join two other pro- grams that aid single women in becoming self-su - cient. The nonpro t provides mothers and children with housing and child care while the moms are enrolled in the Career Track and the Education Track programs, according to its website. The speci cs The Vocation Track supports single women as they gain the skills and education necessary to earn a family-sustaining wage by removing the barriers they often face. Participants in The Gatehouse Vocation Track and their children receive no-cost apartments on the nonpro t’s 61-acre campus and access to childcare, professional counseling, legal assistance and other resources, according to a news release. Community Impact interviewed founder and CEO Lisa Rose and program director Chelsea Hinman about the impact the non-pro t has provided. Answers have been edited for length and clarity. You just had your 10th anniversary. What does it mean to reach this milestone? LR: When I think about 10 years, we’ve been able to o er 800 people hope, opportunity and the dignity of earned success. Our umbrella 501c3
Chelsea Hinman is the program director at The Gatehouse.
COURTESY THE GATEHOUSE
and that can stem from any kind of hardship, a divorce or domestic abuse. One thing about The Gatehouse program that is so very special is the fact that you don’t need to be coming directly from an extreme crisis. Our program also serves women who are experiencing temporary hardships, such as a single mom who’s struggling to complete those last two years of a degree or a mom who is being impacted by the recession. How do these programs work? Is there a wait list? LR: The Gatehouse is currently accepting applica- tions for all three of our tracks. We’re very fortunate to see many of our residents graduate throughout the year, which then opens up spots. Therefore, we don’t have a wait list. Our applicants have to do a written application and then they have a verbal, face-to-face, virtual interview before they’re accepted into the program. We spend around $35,000 a year for a woman and two children. The Tarrant County taxpayer spends $55,000, and that gure was from two years ago. We’re saving taxpayer money, and our women are becoming not tax consumers but taxpayers.
27
GRAPEVINE COLLEYVILLE SOUTHLAKE EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook