| The aromas of baked goods and coffee will soon begin emanating from the Old City Hall in Gilroy, California, offering area residents a tangible sign that things are changing for the better in their Northern California community. The smells will come bakery and coffeehouse business incubators that are set to open in Gilroy's new Community Learning Center, which was recently established by Gavilan College. Gavilan used a 1999 Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) grant to lease and retrofit the Old City Hall, which now features high-technology classrooms and a teaching kitchen. The center also provides short-term job skills training, a technology learning lab, and an education information center. It will also become a site for workforce development, technical training, community service activities, and a microenterprise center.
The community learning center is expected to contribute to Gilroy's economic development, community development, and neighborhood revitalization. Center services are targeted to residents of a HUD-designated Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy area on Gilroy's East Side. More than three-quarters of area residents are Hispanic and almost 70 percent are considered to be very-low-income. Area unemployment is almost double the citywide rate.
Gavilan is working with a vide variety of partners to revitalize the area. They include Employment Service Center, the Gilroy Downtown Development Corporation, the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation, and the Santa Clara County Social Services Agency. The college has leveraged almost $165,000 in additional funds to operate center programs.
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