Michael Chavez Center overview

At the start of this decade, Monument Futures was seen as simply a means to get day laborers off of Monument Boulevard and into some form of centralized day-labor resource center. Since that time its mission and the perception of its function has evolved to better connect with the greater Concord City community.

The organization is now the Michael Chavez Center (MCC), named for the former City Councilman and supporter reflects that evolution. An interview with Mike van Hofwegen, the current Executive Director explains the following aspects:

Mission:
The main mission is to help the people in the Monument Corridor develop the skills and connections to make it in America as part of the whole American community in Concord. For MCC, success is defined by seeing those who are able to leave, support themselves, and contribute to the community.

Day Laborers:
There are about 70 day laborers at the site. They, like all members of the Center, pay a small monthly fee. This group represents less than half of the people in the center with the majority being made up of people in training, and participating in Cooperative/Small Business projects. The center does not check for legal resident status, its focus in the labor pool is simply to provide an efficient match up for prospective employers and workers. Employers can come in and detail what skills they are looking for and get quickly supplied. There are U.S. citizens and valid residents in the program, though these are a minority.

Training:
This is the real heart and hope of the Center where about 60-80 people are given training in basic job skills— including irrigation, plumbing, construction, computer, Internet, language—as well as community integration including Planned Parenthood, health issues and civil skills. There are also more basic education efforts to raise the gateway skills of reading, writing, and English, since apx. 1/3 of the members have only elementary education levels. The Concord Public Library has arranged a mini-branch book exchange service to the site to assist in this regard.

Giving Back to the Community
The center provides up to two workers a day as volunteers to the City of Concord to assist the City in its many outdoors projects where the City calls for volunteers that does not conflict with any other contractual or employee functions. Since February the center has provided over 1,000 hours of free volunteers to help the City. The workers to the community donate hours free.

Cooperative Projects
A new program of the center is a business incubator that helps development and coordination of small business efforts started by members. A recent example is a group of five women who have formed a House Cleaning cooperative. The Center is also looking to recruit mentors for these efforts to assist in business development. The Center is reaching out to organizations such as East Bay Works as well as the traditional social organizations such as Rotary International and other community service agencies to assist in the further education and training support of Center members.

Safety and Community building
The Michael Chavez Center sees its mission as providing a safe community service that helps integrate people wanting to work, learn, and be part of the community. The people of the Monument community have at their disposal a dedicated group to help one segment of the diverse population that lives in our neighborhoods to become productive and proud members of the community.