Banks Award $16K to Support Houston Nonprofit’s COVID-19 Relief Program

FHLB Dallas and Veritex Community Bank Provide Partnership Grant Program Funds

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Veritex Community Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have partnered to award $16,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP) funds to a Houston nonprofit that helps people impacted by COVID-19 gain employment.

Career Gear Greater Houston (CGGH), which operates with four full-time staff members and numerous volunteers, will use the grant for operational and administration expenses as they re-hire staff to support Operation ReCOVery, a jobs program for people impacted by COVID-19 who are in need of immediate employment. The program includes virtual employment coaching and access to the internet at CGGH’s development center. The grant will also go toward increasing the funding of its SkillUp Entrepreneurship Incubator.

Over the last 10 years, CGGH has served more than 23,000 men and male youth on a journey toward economic independence. Last year, it helped 561 fathers, 322 veterans, 159 re-entry employees and 89 students.

The organization is based in the Greater Houston region and serves the Gulfton and Sharpstown neighborhoods, considered among the poorest areas in Houston.

Jamay Schardien, executive director of CGGH, said the PGP grant will help tremendously in continuing to develop the organization.

“There is a demand for community organizations to help families and individuals recover from the effects of the pandemic,” said Ms. Schardien. “With this grant, we will be able to expand our workforce to support these communities.”

Veritex Community Bank Community Development Officer Courtney Taylor said CGGH is making a positive difference.

“We applaud the work being done by Career Gear Greater Houston, and it’s an honor to partner with FHLB Dallas to fund this organization,” Ms. Taylor said.

For 2021, FHLB Dallas awarded $400,000 in PGP grants, and its members provided an additional $200,250 for an impact of more than $600,000 in its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.

“Veritex Community Bank and CGGH demonstrate the positive impact of community partnerships,” said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. “We value this opportunity to aid CGGH by multiplying Veritex Community Bank’s contribution for the benefit of those in need.”

See the complete list of the 2021 PGP grant recipients. For more information about the 2021 PGP grants and other FHLB Dallas community investment products and programs, please visit fhlb.com/pgp.

About Veritex Community Bank

Veritex Community Bank is a mid-sized community bank serving its customers with a full suite of banking products and services. The bank has several conveniently located branch locations in Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, with total assets of over $8 billion. The bank, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, specializes in providing depository and credit services to small- to mid-size businesses, which have been largely neglected by national banks. The name “Veritex” is derived from the Latin word “veritas,” meaning truth, and “Texas.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $58.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com.