Patty Erjavec, PCC President

Contacts for more information:

Patty Erjavec, PCC President

(719) 549-3213,

Joseph Mahoney, Executive Director,

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pueblo

(719) 586-8615,

Tim Hart, Director, Pueblo County
Department of Social Services

(719) 583-6965,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 8, 2015

Project ACCESS aims to use support system
to remove barriers for less-privileged young adults

PUEBLO – Three Pueblo organizations are announcing a new partnership program today that aims to provide a support system to help remove barriers to education for a select group of young local adults. Project ACCESS will address the unique needs of adults between the ages of 18 and 26 by providing a combination of life skills education, case management, and subsidies for remedial courses.

The project’s partners are Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pueblo (CCDP), Pueblo Community College (PCC) and Pueblo County Department of Social Services (PCDSS). They developed the plan for the target audience that faces persistent inequalities because of family background and/or poverty. ACCESS is an acronym for Advancing Community Care Enhancing Student Success.

Social Services will refer candidates to Project ACCESS. The Options 4 Change course that it has provided previously in collaboration with Catholic Charities will be instituted at PCC as part of the project. The course is a basic component of Colorado Works/Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and helps TANF recipients develop improved life skills to prevent future needs for assistance.

Catholic Charities will place two of its case managers on the PCC campus to coordinate basic life-skills education and academic assessments in collaboration with college academic personnel. It will develop Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs) and provide ongoing support to address participants’ social service needs.

In addition to staff support, PCC will make available the office and classroom space needed for the case managers and provide an immediate introduction to the post-secondary education environment. It will give participants the opportunities to visit classes and learn about the academic programs and associated opportunities that could be available to them, thereby sparking their interest in developing skills to match their career goals.

In December, funding of $300,000 in Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative funds, $150,000 for each of two years, was approved for awarding to Catholic Charities for the program. Social Services will contribute an additional $139,000 over the two years, while PCC’s contribution is in-kind through the use of staff and office/classroom space.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for our three Pueblo organizations to come together to offer a network of student support and scholarship program opportunities to individuals needing just a little more help while trying to better themselves,” said PCC President Patty Erjavec. “I am pleased that the Governor’s Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative has recognized this most worthy endeavor with a financial investment. I am hopeful that as Project ACCESS grows, so will the support from other community advocates.”

Another key component is that Project ACCESS participants who complete remedial courses in reading and mathematics will receive subsidies through the funding provided by the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative. Passing those courses is required for advancement into regular college coursework at PCC.

The concept for Project ACCESS came from an Institute of Medicine National Research Council report titled Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults. It provides specific recommendations for community-based, comprehensive and collaborative approaches to meeting the unique needs of young adults ages between the ages of 18 and 26. It noted that a combination of educational, economic, social and health supports is required to help this audience transition into successful roles by developing essential life skills and marketable credentials.

Pueblo has an acute need because of its relatively high unemployment, poverty rate (22.5%, compared to 12.9% statewide) and its low percentage of 25-and-over population with a bachelor’s degree (18.9% versus 36.7% statewide).

"Catholic Charities is pleased to bring our case management expertise to PCC," said Joe Mahoney, Executive Director of the local Catholic Charities diocese. "There are no solutions to poverty without education, and locating this program on the campus will reduce barriers to education for our clients and take them one step closer to life-enhancing skills."

The collaborating partners believe that investing in the program at an early stage will lead to improved retention and achievement in post-secondary education paths chosen by participants.

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Founded in 1933, Pueblo Community College is a premier teaching institution focused on providing academic and service excellence, without discrimination, to help its students acquire the 21st Century skills needed to better their lives. An educational and technological leader, PCC fosters economic development and utilizes strong partnerships in the communities it serves through its Pueblo, Fremont and Southwest campuses.

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Gary Franchi, PCC Public Relations Coordinator

(719) 549-3053, Gary.