Marlon Mitchell, left, and Pastor Dennis Walton, right at the announcement of their startup Gary Eastside Community Development Corporation. Rear, left-right, Duke Cunningham, Calvin Houston, and Ventress Jackson

Startup on Gary's Eastside promises jobs, housing, and education

Contributed By:The 411 News

"It is people like this who are helping to re-imagine Gary," said Mayor Jerome Prince, as he introduced Marlon Mitchell and Pastor Dennis Walton to the Gary Chamber of Commerce audience gathered on the grounds of the Computer Skills & Training Center, 308 E. 21st Avenue.

CSTC is on the site of the former Willowglen Academy and new plans for the campus were being announced.

Mitchell is the former director of the IVY Tech Community College Gary Campus.

Pastor Walton, of Faith Temple of Christ, has churches in Merrillville and Gary. The property was purchased in 2020. “This is a blessing. I call it our miracle building,” Pastor Walton said. “It’s for our children, the community, our future.”

Chamber President and CEO Chuck Hughes called the two men -- organizers of the Gary Eastside Community Development Corporation -- game changers. "This initiative will transform the lives of many of our citizens and it will prove to be a game changer."

GECDC is taking a "cradle to career and homeless to home ownership" approach to their community work, said Mitchell, that will include programs for housing, education, and job training. The U.S. Dept. of Labor and Indiana's state Dept. of Education are new program partners.

Gary's One Church One School program, headed by Rev. Jerry Protho, will make the Training Center one of its sites for the state's Accelerated Learning Program. The program provides recovery learning and remediation services for K-12 students.

The Dept. of Labor's Young Adult Reentry Program focuses on 18-24 year olds who have currently or previously been involved in the juvenile or adult criminal justice system. The program also serves high school dropouts and the low income.

Mitchell said the community development corporation has purchased a 74,000 sq. ft. facility to serve as a construction trades training site and will also manufacture pre-fabricated housing.

"We'll be training in all those skills needed to operate a manufacturing facility. We'll be building houses and put those houses in the community," Mitchell said, "and these will be quality houses."

Ventress Jackson, the Reentry Program's case manager said participants can choose between training in the construction trades, building maintenance, solar panel installation, and culinary arts.

Participants can earn their GED or High School Equivalency, access counseling and mentoring services, employment placement, and job readiness training,

CSTC uses all of the buildings of the former Willowglen campus -- 5 communal housing residences, an administration building, and a multipurpose building.

Renovation and remodeling are almost complete, property manager Teri Houk said during a tour. The communal residences are already providing transitional housing for families and single adults.

The multipurpose building has class and conference rooms, a cafeteria, a health center, a barber/beauty shop, and a small retail store.


Willowglen Academy is now Gary Eastside Community Development Corporation

Story Posted:10/09/2021