At the corner of Cherry Lane and I-30 \u2014 where aging commercial corridors meet one of Fort Worth\u2019s most underserved neighborhoods \u2014 a new kind of opportunity is taking shape. Presbyterian Night Shelter (PNS), the nonprofit behind the city\u2019s largest shelter system, is launching\u00a0The Greater Good Collective, a bold expansion of its UpSpire social enterprise model, according to a release. The project aims to transform donated real estate into a hub for hands-on job training, wraparound support, and purpose-driven employment opportunities for individuals who are often left behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Greater Good Collective is more than a job site \u2014 it\u2019s a reinvestment in lives, neighborhoods, and second chances. Made possible by the donation of a commercial property on the city\u2019s far west side, the new campus will serve as a home base for several microbusinesses and two mission-aligned UpSpire ventures: a handyman service and a junk removal operation. Both are designed to provide low-barrier, entry-level trade work, while offering employees real-time job training, a structured team environment, and the dignity of earning a paycheck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis incredibly generous donation presents us with an extraordinary opportunity \u2014 not only to expand our UpSpire workforce and create new jobs and training pathways, but also to deepen our commitment to helping individuals build stability, earn income, and reclaim their futures through purpose-driven employment,\u201d said Toby Owen, CEO of Presbyterian Night Shelter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
UpSpire was founded in 2016 as the social enterprise arm of PNS, built around a simple premise: give people a job, support them, and watch what happens. Since then, the program has expanded to include contracts with city departments and private companies across Fort Worth, encompassing a range of services, from landscaping and janitorial work to warehouse operations and litter abatement. One of its most celebrated ventures,\u00a0WOODWORKS by UpSpire, offers hands-on carpentry training through furniture building, allowing participants\u00a0to hone a craft and take pride in their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Greater Good Collective builds on that success and expands it. In addition to the handyman and junk removal services, the site will house two community-facing businesses \u2014\u00a0Greater Give, a donation intake and sorting center, and\u00a0Greater Grab, a curated thrift store. Both will generate revenue while creating more jobs for people who may face obstacles to full-time employment. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is exactly the kind of investment West Fort Worth needs \u2014 one that revitalizes spaces, creates jobs, and tackles disparities in neighborhoods like Las Vegas Trail, all while strengthening our local economy and uplifting families,\u201d said Fort Worth City Councilman Michael Crain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Renovation of the space is expected to begin in late 2025, following the completion of fundraising efforts. The Collective\u2019s first businesses will launch in phases starting in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through it all, the philosophy remains consistent: workforce as a vehicle for healing. Every UpSpire position comes with access to coaching, scheduling flexibility, and a built-in support system \u2014 the kind that helps someone move from surviving to thriving.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Owen puts it, \u201cThe Greater Good Collective will prioritize employment for populations who often face barriers to full-time work \u2014 especially women and mothers \u2014 and will offer wraparound supports like workforce coaching, flexible scheduling, and trauma-informed practices.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the corner of Cherry Lane and I-30 \u2014 where aging commercial corridors meet one of Fort Worth\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":84092,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,7372,9730,2198,420,57041,4329,358,7453,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,27355],"class_list":{"0":"post-84091","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fort-worth","10":"tag-fortworth","11":"tag-fwtx-staff","12":"tag-help","13":"tag-jobs","14":"tag-presbyterian-night-shelter","15":"tag-real-estate","16":"tag-texas","17":"tag-top-story","18":"tag-tx","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-united-states-of-america","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa","25":"tag-volunteering"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114898788959582259","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}