DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Dearborn nonprofit that has served the community for four and a half decades has opened a major expansion after just nine months of construction.
Leaders Helping and Advancing Communities, known as LAHC, cut the ribbon on a new 6,500-square-foot behavioral health and workforce development hub. The $3 million project was funded through local, federal and private sources — including grants from Comcast and Amazon.
Watch Jeffrey Lindblom's video report below:
LAHC President and CEO Wassim Mahfouz said the milestone was an emotional one.
"We did it. My heart is full." Mahfouz said.
The new facility brings career training, behavioral health services, education and English as a second language classes for immigrants under one roof. LAHC says it touched 80,000 lives last year, and Mahfouz says the expansion will dramatically increase that reach.
"We're going to be able to serve 20,000 individuals." Mahfouz said.
The hub also includes a partnership with Dearborn Public Schools to house their special needs program on site.
Dozens of contributors attended the opening, including state legislators, county and community partners and business leaders from Comcast and Amazon. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said the nonprofit's approach to serving people of all backgrounds is exactly what the community needs.
"Whenever you help people get into the workforce, you're helping shatter the cycle of poverty, which often is passed down generation to generation." Hammoud said.
Ginna Holmes, executive director of the Michigan Community Service Commission, echoed that sentiment.
"And make sure people are helped." Holmes said.
James White, president and CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, praised the organization's inclusive mission.
"I could not be more proud of an organization like this that gives people like me an opportunity," White said.
Hammoud said the culture inside the new facility sets it apart.
"Everyone who walks through these doors is treated like family and that's all you can ask for." Hammoud said.
Mahfouz said LAHC's approach has always been rooted in meeting people where they are — regardless of their background.
"We welcome everybody. We don't ask about your background. We ask what your need is, and that's what we try to fulfill." Mahfouz said.
Mahfouz said LAHC is already welcoming people into the new building.
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