In the Spotlight Project Voice
The Empowerment Center
Temecula, CA – The Empowerment Center (TEC), a community-based organization in Temecula, CA, is responding to the critical shortage of mental health professionals in the Inland Empire, which is affecting service delivery and access to disadvantaged populations, youth, and families. TEC is tackling this issue through a holistic approach to community health worker training, Building a Resilient Workforce Training Program. This program is funded by the California Workforce Development Board, California Division of Apprenticeship Standards, and the City of Temecula. Launched in April 2024, the 12-week course is designed to train frontline mental health professionals in competencies of trauma-informed care, health and social service navigation, mental health first aid, career readiness training, and mentorship. The program’s goal is to fill this critical gap in care while providing participants with a pathway to stable employment. TEC’s Building a Resilient Workforce Training Program aligns with the goals of the High Road Training Partnership Initiative by focusing on job quality, equity, career advancement, and regional needs. Program participants receive wrap-around support, including mentorship, to ensure access to employment opportunities in mental health services with benefits for long-term careers. By prioritizing the recruitment of disadvantaged groups—including youth, justice-involved populations, and racial minorities, TEC fosters greater workforce diversity and addresses regional disparities. Additionally, the program’s hybrid training model has increased student participation while reducing transportation barriers. To learn more about the Resilient Workforce Career Readiness Program and its statewide supportive services approach for registered apprentices visit https://www.theempowermentcenterintl.com/.
Corey Lewis
Mentor, Community Health Worker
Corey Lewis grew up in Chicago and became a first-generation college graduate after relocating to Southern California.Over a 20-year period, Corey worked various entry-level jobs for Fortune 500 companies. In every position, he carried the weight of unreconciled family trauma and most recently was navigating the residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It made him realize that he had another calling. In all of Corey’s previous jobs his “superpower” was his ability to connect with others. His colleagues encouraged him to pursue a degree in Sociology or become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. To Corey, the thought of going back to school was financially overwhelming and not conducive to his work schedule.
That is until he connected with The Empowerment Center’s Building a Resilient Workforce Training Program. Corey thought, “I can choose to go get another degree, or I can have a [Community Health Worker] certification under my belt where I can make good money and still have the option to go back to school.” He took a chance on TEC’s training program and graduated from their first cohort. The 12-week program, offered outside of his work hours, allowed Corey to upskill his cultural competencies, receive mental health resources, and learn strategies to navigate educational systems to increase access to supportive services.
If we build humanity—if we build our workforce first—we will all be successful.”
Since completing TEC’s training, Corey serves as a mentor to other CHW’s in training and continues to develop as a professional while giving back to his community. Corey reflected on the experience saying: “Life sometimes comes and forces you up to do things that we didn’t think we were going to do because we needed to survive and make a living. Young people are struggling and having training like [TEC’s CHW] [they] can discover something about themselves that they would never discover going to a traditional college.”
Corey has since gone on to earn a promotion in the human resources division with his employer and believes his emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills, and effective communication strategies learned through TEC’s training contributed to his success. Corey said, “Everyone should take this training to overcome challenges we’re facing in this country. If we build humanity—if we build our workforce first—we will all be successful.”