The Gulf Coast Community Services Association held a public hearing at the Acres Home Multi-service Center at 6719 W. Montgomery Rd., on July 10, to receive input from community residents on their needs and concerns about the community. The Gulf Coast Community Service Association which has served the community for 35 years of service to the community also discussed the different programs that are available.

The panel of speakers were Debra Nichols, Interim Program Director; Gale Johnson, Senior Services Program/Program Services Coordinator; Hazel Pigge, Site Administrator; Maria Compos, Literacy Program; Brenda Morgan, Outreach Program for Acres Home and Clarence Brooks, Employment Skills Counselor. Each speaker touched on their program and how to qualify for these programs.

The Gulf Coast Community Services Housing Counseling Programs provides comprehensive housing counseling to low and moderate-income residents in the Houston/Harris and surrounding counties. Counseling is free to individuals living in their service areas and who have a housing problem or concern.

The CCCSA literacy program headed, by Maria Compos provides assistance in adulthood to help with reading, math, and writing skills or to help individuals get their GED. In this program 75% of these students, graduate and attend college. This program also assists students in reviewing for the TASP to prepare them to enter into college. Brooks, the IDA counselor, has a program that helps clients with job development skills. This program gives resume writing skills, interview skills and the program also sends you out for job referrals.

In this program participants will have to attend job retention workshops, designed to show how to keep a job. The GCCSA after school program provides administrative support to an after school educational and recreational program with MacArthur Elementary and Gregg Elementary School for 100 students. The prescription voucher program assists low-income individuals with a prescription voucher to assist with the cost of medicine.

The Association will also give bus tokens for low-income individuals to access travel for the purpose of employment search, medical appointments and continual education. CCCSA has many programs to assist low-income persons to help make their lifestyle better.
“I was reluctant at first. I didn’t think you could teach a 65-year-old man anything. I’m proud to be part of this program,” stated John Paxton. Charlene Calldell said, “The computer program has really helped me, I’ve been here three days so far and now know more about computers than I ever did before.” “In my 64 years, I’ve learned more in this computer program provided by the Gulf Coast Community Services Association. It is a beautiful thing.”

These were just some of the statements from individuals that are currently using the programs that GCCSA are providing. GCCSA will have another public hearing at the Acres Home Multi-Service Center, July 17, 2002.
The main office of the gulf Coast Community Service Association is 5000 Gulf Freeway, Building 1.

Call 281/ 272-1555 for more information.