Be the change today

The PPEP Housing program works to sustain housing needs at an affordable rate for farmworkers needing rental housing or mortgage assistance to be able to stay in and not lose their homes. The program works with individuals and families with credit counseling and financial assistance, such as home loan applications with USDA hopefully to someday purchase their own home. The NFJP Housing Case Manager refers many Housing clients to the NFJP employment and training program when needing employment assistance due to layoffs or wanting other work or career options. The NFJP housing manager oversees the construction supervisor and rehab projects, along with working with our housing partners in the development of additional housing at an affordable rate. This program has now been operating for 12 years and is doing tremendous things for the community along with offering affordable housing in a market that does not always accommodate farmworkers and the need for affordable housing. 

 The NFJP Youth Program, which has incorporated a YouthBuild/AmeriCorps model into it's program fabric works to enroll youth back into education and provide skills and abilities that will help them once completing the program and help to build their resume. Youth entering the NFJP youth program in Yuma (shown above) not only go back to school and earn their GED, but also take NCCER Construction classes for credentialing, take OSHA 10 certification classes, 1st Aid and CPR classes, Job Readiness classes, leadership development and learn construction by building single family homes from the ground up with PPEP construction staff and program partner Comite de Bein Estar. Youth entering this program are also quarter time AmeriCorps members and through their program, each student completes 450 + hours of community services to earn their post-secondary education scholarships. This program is involved in the community in countless way.   

 The program is a 10-month program, Monday thru Thursday, 3 hours per day. There are 3 classes to choose from, morning classes in Somerton, AZ, and two evening classes, one in Somerton, AZ and the other in San Luis, AZ. To qualify for the program, the farmworker needed to work at least 75 days in the last 24 months to be eligible. The HEP program pays each student a small stipend, to help with expenses such as gas, while they are in the program. These stipends are based on the participation in the program. The program also pays for the GED Ready pretests to see if an individual is ready to take the actual test and once the student is ready, HEP will pay for each subject of the Official GED test. 

  For each student that is enrolled in the HEP program, the services that they received, along with GED instruction is Case Management, Career Counseling, Partner Referrals, Employment Preparation, Job Placement Services, Follow Up Services, and Career Advancement Services. These services are instrumental in the success of each of our students to overcome obstacles and become self-sufficient.