HISD opens Sunrise Center in revamped Re-Engagement Center

The final of seven Sunrise Centers—hubs for wellness, nutrition, and social resources for the HISD community—has opened at the former Brock Re-Engagement Center at 1417 Houston Ave. The building once housed HISD’s Student Assistance Department, and the Sunrise Center initiative built on the foundation of the services and resources that were provided there to create an all-new assistance experience for students and their families.

The Brock Sunrise Center, located in Houston’s historic First Ward, works in tandem with community partners such as the Houston Food Bank, Books Between Kids and Empowerment Services. The mission of the center is to be a one-stop-shop for families in need where they can go to access resources like food and clothing as well as social and emotional resources. Children can come to the center for clothes, food, school supplies, and mental health services, and their parents can find assistance dressing themselves for job interviews, participating in workforce development, or learning the ins and outs of medical insurance, all with the dignity of choice.  

In addition to the Houston Food Bank food pantry where community members can get dry and canned goods as they need them, the Sunrise Centers are partnering with Second Serving, a local organization that “rescues” imperfect food items from grocery and big box stores that would otherwise go to waste, allowing recipients to choose from a variety of fresh foods to which they might not otherwise have access. Second Serving visits Sunrise Centers monthly.

“Families in other parts of town who once had to take multiple buses to get here can now go to one of our other Sunrise Centers closer to home,” said Sunrise Center Specialist Carl Green. “The goal is for there to be a Sunrise Center within ten minutes of every school.”

The Sunrise Centers exist to centralize resources in key communities, engage community partners to support needful students and families and break down barriers to services and resources.

Learn more about HISD’s six additional Sunrise Center locations:

For more information on HISD’s Family and Community Engagement Department, visit the FACE webpage, and for more information on the District’s many valuable community partnerships, visit the Community Partnerships Department webpage.