In 2021, the concept of a community hub where immigrants could enrich their lives through education and resources was a dream waiting to be realized.

But by January, the headquarters of PODER Learning Center had become a reality. And just a few months in, staff members are seeing a dramatic impact in the Gage Park community, with an increase in students and clients using the building’s services.

“Poder” has many meanings in Spanish: As a verb, it means “be able to,” and as a noun, it can mean power and authority. Daniel Loftus, CEO and president of the center, said the new $6.1 million building at 3357 W. 55th St. is everything the organization hoped it would be.

“So much of this was driven by the community and for the community. As a result, we’re starting to see the true impact that we envisioned,” he said. “With the opening of the building, there has been an incredible influx of demand for in-person classes. We’re trying to adjust on the fly, opening additional sections to respond to that demand, which we didn’t see three or four months prior to opening the building in January.”

PODER student Lorena Ramirez, 65, came to Chicago from Guerrero, Mexico, over 30 years ago. She said her American dream has less to do with property ownership and more with educational pursuits — for herself and the next generation. Ramirez set her sights on becoming an English as a second language teacher. Despite having a bachelor’s degree in tourism from her homeland, getting her credentials to become an educator in the United States proved difficult given her work schedule and raising her family.

“When I have the chance, I go to school,” said Ramirez, who now has four grown children. “I discovered PODER 10 years ago in Pilsen. I registered for one class, but it was hard to get a parking spot there. The third class, I got a ticket and that frustrated me. I said, ‘No, I cannot afford paying tickets, gas, my time … it’s hard.’ I dropped that class. Then they build this. And I decided to register and take classes here.”

Ramirez was one of about two dozen adult education students receiving a certificate April 21 for completing phase five of an ESL course at PODER. Since the center began in 1997 in a former boxing ring and gym in Pilsen, the organization has moved to numerous locations on the South Side. Now it has a new home in an unused former city of Chicago Bureau of Electricity office.

PODER students can participate in English lessons that integrate life and job skills, civic engagement, advocacy, and financial and digital literacy. They can also join workforce development training programs that lead to an industry-recognized certificate in customer service. The center also offers classes to help individuals pass the Illinois Property & Casualty insurance license exam and aid adults with entry-level careers in the financial services sector, such as becoming a bank teller. And the education is free, whether in-person or virtual.

According to Griselda Piedra, PODER’s community relations manager, the organization is collaborating with community partners to bring mental health and legal support services to the site.

Not taking a class, but seeking employment? Looking for activities to engage area youth? The PODER team is looking into it or working on it. The team has a holistic approach to services, meeting clients where they are and getting them to their personal goals.

“Our goal is to have events going on, touch points where people can come and feel comfortable in asking: ‘I’m looking for this and we’ll be able to say, ‘Yes, definitely, let me connect you to the right person, the right resource,’” Piedra said. “We want to be that go-to in the community. We have ambassadors going out in the community, giving people information about PODER and telling them, ‘Come on over to HQ. We’ll be able to support you.’”

Maria Fernandez, 36, came to Chicago from Ecuador 17 years ago. The Norridge cosmetologist said that if she hadn’t found the learning center, she’d still be working in restaurants. Taking free online classes helped the mother of three get through five English integration classes.

“I lost a lot of opportunities because I can’t speak or keep a conversation going in English,” she said. “But since I started studying English here, I feel more comfortable and confident with my English, thanks to PODER and the teachers.”

Piedra said PODER’s client demographic has shifted from the 25-to-35 age group to the 18-to-35 age group. Registration for classes is up 136% from the 2022 fiscal year to the 2023 fiscal year. Summer enrollment numbers are already in the 600 to 700 range, higher than the typical 400 to 500.

“The majority of folks come from ZIP code 60632 (Brighton Park) and 60629 (West Lawn and Chicago Lawn),” Piedra said. “But we do have a growing number from 60623 (Little Village), 60608 (Pilsen). We’re grateful we were able to serve a lot of people through all of the spaces that we’ve been in. But here, the visibility and transparency is right there. They’ll come in and see people like themselves and feel welcomed.

“At the beginning, we were getting folks asking, ‘Can we come in?’ It was that new, shiny item that our community didn’t think was for them,” Piedra said. “Now they know they can come in, get connected to services, talk to people and connect. We’ve had folks come in to a job fair and walk out with job offers and are now employed in a matter of 30 to 45 minutes.”

Margarita Zuniga, 25, is a part-time PODER ambassador, studying English and looking for a career after she gets her customer service certificate. The West Lawn mom of two is looking forward to completing her integrated English classes in May.

“I don’t know what would happen if this organization was not here,” said the native of Jalisco, Mexico. “I feel happy with me. I feel happy with my English because it’s so different when you can communicate with other people. It’s so wonderful. In May, I start to study customer service. I want to continue studying and be an example for my daughters.”

Marc Smierciak, PODER teacher and program manager, emphasizes to his students that completing classes is not an end. It’s just the next step.

“I use the term springboard because they’re bouncing into a new thing,” he said. “It’s better preparing them to be functional in our society. Are you going to get a full-time job? Are you advancing to college studies? That’s what they’re doing.”

PODER was built with help from a $1 million grant from We Rise Together: For an Equitable and Just Recovery, an initiative of the Chicago Community Trust created in response to COVID-19.

Claudette Soto’s firm, baso Ltd., aided the learning center in bringing architectural designs to life by finding the best teams to build them. The Gage Park native, architect and structural engineer said the average citizen has to have hope that projects like PODER will affect change.

“We never believe that these things are even possible in our community,” Soto said. “So even if we try to put some sort of effort forward, we often feel defeated early on. But in all the years that I’ve been in this industry, there has never been this much money in the Black and brown community.”

Ramirez has a level of hope that’s palpable. The convenience of online classes has put her closer to her goal of becoming a teacher. She’s taking an early development class at Daley College in conjunction with her PODER class.

“One day, I will do it,” Ramirez said. “It’s really good, this place for the community. We have to focus not only on documented people, but undocumented people need help … more help with legal aid, financial help, because our people are being abused from people taking advantage because they don’t know the system. But this place is changing lives.”

drockett@chicagotribune.com