Photo Credit: Petra CaresNews
Petra Cares Opens New 7,800-Square-Foot Automotive Technician Training Facility, Marking New Chapter for Houston’s At-Risk Foster Youth
Eighty percent of young adults in the foster care system face homelessness, incarceration, or unemployment within three years of aging out. Petra Cares, founded in 2023 interrupts that cycle by providing credentials, careers, and the kind of hands-on support that changes lives for generations to come.
By pairing Houston’s most vulnerable young adults with the automotive industry’s growing demand for skilled technicians and dealer support, the nonprofit provides ASE-certified automotive training and Title Clerk and Warranty Administration certification, job placement support, scholarships, and life-skills resources that remove barriers and create real pathways for success. A new permanent facility means more young adults will have access to that opportunity.
Today, the nonprofit marked the next chapter with a ribbon cutting at its new 7,800-square-foot facility at 11629 Telge Road in Cypress, Texas, which welcomed its first cohort on May 11, 2026. To celebrate the occasion, community, business, and civic leaders gathered to recognize three years of measurable impact and the expanded capacity that now positions Petra Cares to reach more students, place more graduates, and deepen its footprint across the Houston area.
“The donors, partners, dealers and supporters who believed in this mission early on made everything you see today possible. They saw young adults who just needed a pathway, and they helped us create one,” said Brian Meza, managing director at Petra Cares. “Today we open a facility that will train more students, place more graduates, and change more lives than ever before. None of it happens without the help of those who have stood behind Petra Cares from the beginning. This ribbon cutting belongs to all of them.”
What the New Facility Enables
The Cypress campus represents a 75% increase in training capacity over previous operations, with infrastructure designed to support multiple program tracks simultaneously.
Facility highlights:
· 7,800 square feet of dedicated training space
· Two automotive service bays
· Expanded classroom space for title clerk and warranty administration training
· Located at 11629 Telge Road, Cypress, Texas 77429
Credentials students can earn:
· ASE Certification (Automotive Service Excellence) — the industry standard for technician qualification
· Certificate of Completion from Reynolds and Reynolds for Title Clerk and Warranty Administration coursework
The expanded footprint also supports Petra Cares’ growing staff, adding two part-time and one full time positions — along with over 20 construction jobs generated during the build-out.
Three Years of Proven Impact
Before the first brick was laid on the new facility, Petra Cares had already demonstrated what access, structure, and professional training can do for young adults with few other options.
“I grew up in foster care and spent a lot of my life making the wrong choices because I didn’t think I had a future,” said Damacio Perez, a Petra Cares graduate. “Petra Cares gave me more than training – it gave me structure, belief, and a real path forward. Today, I’m working as an automotive technician at Mack Haik Pasdena, earning an honest living, and dreaming bigger than I ever thought I could. For the first time, I’m building something I’m proud of.”
Program outcomes across 14 cohorts:
· 140 students enrolled since program launch in June 2023
· 78% job placement rate among graduates
· 72% program graduation rate
· Free, 7-week training program — a $9,000 per-student investment covered at no cost to students
Those numbers carry particular weight given what Petra Cares students are up against:
· 80% of youth aging out of foster care face homelessness, incarceration, or unemployment within three years of leaving the system.
· Fewer than 2% will ever earn a college degree, a reality that locks one generation of poverty into the next.
· One in five will experience homelessness within the first year alone.
The automotive industry also faces a shortage of 100,000 trained technicians every year for the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, creating a direct alignment between workforce demand and the population Petra Cares serves.
Community Investment at the Ribbon Cutting
The Regions Foundation, a nonprofit primarily funded by Regions Bank, announced a $100,000 investment in Petra Cares at today’s ribbon cutting ceremony, furthering Petra Cares mission, and helping change the lives of young people the system too often leaves behind. Regions Bank associates in Houston also volunteer with Petra Cares, teaching financial education classes to youth served by the organization to help them build financial confidence.
“When you equip young people with the right tools and support, you don’t just change one life – you create lasting impact for an entire community,” said Marta Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation. “Petra Cares is helping youth confidently chart their path forward with purpose, and we’re proud to invest in the life-changing work they’re leading.”
“We are truly grateful to our partners at the Regions Foundation for this contribution to Petra Cares,” added Caroline Vérot Moore, market president for Regions Bank in Houston. “This generous gift will open doors for young adults eager to build meaningful careers while strengthening Houston’s workforce by connecting employers with skilled, motivated talent.”
On April 10, 2026, Petra Cares raised over $1 million at its 3rd Annual “Fueling Futures” Gala hosted at The Revaire in Houston.
Source: Petra Cares
