Peninsula Nonprofit Set To Receive $5M For East Palo Alto Center

EAST PALO ALTO, CA — JobTrain, a Peninsula-based nonprofit that provides career training and employment opportunities to low-income adults, is set to receive $5 million in state funding toward constructing a new 100,000-square foot economic mobility center in East Palo Alto.

The funding, part of budget trailer legislation that passed both houses of the state legislature on Monday, is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. The $5 million would be matched by a grant from the Emerson Collective to complete the projected $10 million cost of the center.

Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), appearing virtually from Sacramento, announced the plan with local officials Wednesday at a news briefing, as JobTrain also held its first in-person job fair since the pandemic in Menlo Park.

“People can burst through the doors of opportunity that have shut them out,” Becker said. “We know there’s a pathway of opportunities for better life, economic stability and sustainability and economic prosperity. It’s such a great honor to share this day with you.”

JobTrain, based in Menlo Park, has served Silicon Valley for 55 years and helped more than 190,000 low-income individuals through its programs, according to its website. Opening a permanent location in East Palo Alto would boost the organization’s efforts toward reaching its goal of having 75 percent of career training graduates achieve full economic mobility within five years of graduation, according to Becker.

“Never has a mission been more urgent coming out of this pandemic,” Becker said. “We know there are employers out there looking for employees.”

The center would also house other nonprofit organizations, creating the “synergy that ultimately creates the type of citizens we need to have a healthy, active, just and equitable community,” said East Palo Alto Mayor Carlos Romero, who credited Becker with pushing for the funds to be included in the state budget.

"We didn’t know the exact amount, but he was trying to get a sizeable amount," Romero said. "Today, clearly it came to fruition."

At the height of the pandemic, 43 percent of the people served by JobTrain lost their jobs, and 60 percent had a family member lose work, according to JobTrain President and CEO Barrie Hathaway. East Palo Alto, home to many essential workers, was also hit hard by COVID-19.

But the state’s recent reopening coupled with the financial boost has officials hopeful.

“I don’t think it’s possible to tell you how significant this investment is in JobTrain for us,” Hathaway said. “When we set out to have this new building, one of the things most people said to me was, ‘How the heck are you going to do this? You’d have to raise an awful amount of money to make this happen.’ JobTrain has never done anything like this before.”

Antonio Lopez, an East Palo Alto councilmember and district representative for Becker, said that the funding is an affirmation that the region is invested in the city’s workforce.

“I see JobTrain as integral for ushering in a new era for East Palo Alto and Menlo Park — an age where a whole generation of residents can and will grow up with an unprecedented level of resources,” Lopez said.

Visit jobtrainworks.org for more information about JobTrain.