Fort Bend County Judge KP George, along with area nonprofits, announced a community and economic development agreement aimed at strengthening under-resourced communities through affordable housing, education, and revitalization initiatives. This agreement represents a milestone in the county’s ongoing commitment to addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable populations.

Since December 2022, George has been talking with various area nonprofit organizations, including Brandon Baca, Attack Poverty chief executive officer, and Shannan Stavinoha, Parks Youth Ranch executive director, among others. Their primary focus of these discussions was to address the needs of the county’s at-risk homeless population and explore collaborative solutions to improve their quality of life.

As a result of these visits, Fort Bend County Commissioner’s Court unanimously approved a $2.5 million budget allocation June 13 for an affordable housing program. This funding will provide critical support and assistance to homeless individuals, helping them secure safe and stable housing.

“This community and economic development agreement is a testament to Fort Bend County’s dedication to addressing the needs of our most vulnerable community members,” George said. “We believe that everyone deserves access to safe and affordable housing, quality education and opportunities for revitalization. By collaborating with local nonprofit organizations, we can make a lasting impact on our community and uplift those in need.”

Joining George for this announcement were state Rep. Ron Reynolds; Fulshear Mayor and Vice President of Attack Poverty Aaron Groff; Fort Bend County Pct. 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy; Attack Poverty Chief Executive Officer Brandon Baca; Parks Youth Ranch Executive Director Shannan Stavinoha; Fort Bend County Economic Development Director Carlos Guzman; Fort Bend County Director of Behavior Services Connie Almeida; and Fort Bend Family Promise Jim Uschkrat.

The agreement focuses on encouraging local economic development by stimulating, promoting and developing business locations and commercial activity in Fort Bend County to:

• Strengthen under-resourced communities through education and revitalization.
• Meet the need to match those that are either unemployed or underemployed with the varied job openings that exist to meet employer demand, and to ensure individuals have opportunities to meet their basic needs.
• Ensure that an adequate workforce is available to meet the needs of local businesses and provides a foundation for families and individuals to thrive economically and socially.
• Ensure that residents can easily access necessities such as education, healthy food, employment, and health services.

The agreement also enables providing additional community development services, including:

• Onsite and after-school programs that focus on at-risk children that target reading and math development alongside school district performance standards.
• Adult education that focuses on learning English as a second language, obtaining a high school equivalency certificate (GED), technical school training, financial literacy, and computer literacy.
• Job readiness courses that support soft skills development to obtain employment.
• Skill development through on-the-job training through employment onsite and certificate acquisition for trade skills.
• Workforce development programs designed to meet local needs.
• Job creation through part-time entry-level opportunities accessible onsite.
• Development of CDC and management of social enterprise initiatives.

The Fort Bend County Attorney’s Office has played an instrumental role in ensuring the successful execution of this significant economic development initiative and paved the way for a fruitful project.