| A new Urban Community Neighborhood Improvement Academy (UNICA) in San Antonio, Texas' Empowerment Zone (EZ) is using education, training, and hands-on community involvement to address critical community needs. The academy, established by St. Philip's College, is expected to promote economic development in the EZ, which is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the United States and ranks second for the number of residents living below the poverty level. St. Philip's is the only community college in the country that is located within an EZ.
Through UNICA, St. Philip's faculty are teaching courses in carpentry, electricity, and plumbing at a public housing project operated by the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) in the city's EZ. The students receive 400 hours of free instruction and hands-on experience, and then complete an independent project in their own home or neighborhood. Program graduates will receive a fully equipped toolbox worth $250 and a year's tuition in one of St. Philip's construction-related degree programs, if they decide to continue their studies. SAHA has already promised to hire UNICA graduates who go on to complete a degree program.
UNICA is also developing courses in homeownership, home repair, and fair housing and plans to develop a certificate program in community planning and development.
The college's focus on education and skill-training services is a direct response to San Antonio's City Plan and its Round II EZ Application. More than half of San Antonio's EZ residents live below the poverty level and 60 percent are either unemployed or not participating in the labor market. Low wages, lack of adequate transportation and childcare, language barriers, and poor job retention skills often prevent residents from gaining permanent employment. St. Philip's is working with a wide array of partners and has leveraged more than $15 million for the project in addition to a 10-year, $65 million donation from the George Gervin Center.
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