As featured in November/December 1997
J.C. Watts Jr. visits Wilson Commencement Park
During his visit to Rochester, New York, in September, Congressman J.C. Watts Jr. toured Wilson Commencement Park (WCP), a welfare-to-work model that has gained national recognition as a “service enriched housing program worthy of replication.”
Watts toured the site with Jean Howard, WCP executive director, and was impressed with the work of the facility. He then served as keynote speaker for a luncheon that raised $23,000 for WCP.
The success of WCP is reflected in the 80 percent employment rate of graduates surveyed. WCP teaches the importance of assuming personal responsibility and provides 
transitional services including affordable housing (the townhouses pictured right), comprehensive family support, and linkages to training and employment resources.
WCP’s support programs and services enable low-income families to increase their independent earning power, achieve economic and social stability, break the cycle of poverty and welfare dependence, and improve the quality of life for these families and the community.
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